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SILENT HILL PLOT ANALYSIS
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A plot analysis for the "Silent Hill" series.
Originally written by SilentPyramid
Translated into english by Darth_Blade, kl3r1k, MadRushn and 401st Stalker.
VERSION 3.1
May, 20, 2006
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This guide contains information about:
1) "Silent Hill" games by Konami:
Silent Hill 1 (PSone)
Silent Hill Play Novel (GBA)
Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
Silent Hill 2 Restless Dreams (PS2, PC, XBOX)
Silent Hill 3 (PS2, PC)
Silent Hill 4 the Room (PS2, PC, XBOX)
2) Other "Silent Hill" releases:
Silent Hill (the movie)
Silent Hill Dying Inside
Silent Hill Among the Damned
Silent Hill Paint it Black
Silent Hill OST
Silent Hill 2 OST
Silent Hill 3 OST
Silent Hill 4 OST
Lost Memories
Victims List
Another Crimson Tome
NOTE: This guide (obviously) contains TONNS OF THE EXTREME SPOILERS about the
plots of the mentioned above games and other "Silent Hill" releases!
_______________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS.
_______________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT US/CONTACT US
UPDATE HISTORY\WHAT'S NEW
PREFACE
PART 1: MECHANICS, BASE STRUCTURE
1. The Concept.
1-1. Power of the Mind
1-2. Accumulation
1-3. The Inner (subconscious) world
1-4. Laws and limitations of the inner world
1-5. Comparison of the subconscious world and reality
1-6. Endless circuit. Theory of immortality
1-7. Worlds mixing
1-8. Influence
1-9. Who is vulnerable to the influence of such "powers"?
1-10. Reality, illusion and hallucination.
1-11. Subjective perception.
1-12. Descent.
1-13. What really happens to a person, who is in subconscious?
1-14. Death in reality and in the "otherworld".
1-15. Spirits.
1-16. Possessed
1-17. The spiral of reincarnation.
1-18. Monsters. Could they be?...
1-19. God of the inner world.
1-20. Reality of the "otherworld".
2. The Power of Silent Hill.
2-1. The Silent Call.
2-2. Alteration.
2-3. Otherworld outside of Silent Hill.
PART 2: RELIGION OF SILENT HILL
1. Mythology Analysis
1-1. Origin
1-2. Birth
1-3. Salvation
1-4. Creation
1-5. Promise
1-6. Faith
1-7. Morals of a myth
1-8. Date of the first Coming described in a myth
1-9. Factological analysis of mythology
2. The God
2-1. The true name of God
3. Other deities
3-1. Holy Mother
3-2. Valtiel
3-3. Xuchilbara and Lobsel Vith
4. Saint people of a cult
4-1. St. Nicolas
4-2. St. Jennifer
4-3. Holy Alessa
4-4. St. Stephen
5. Pyramid Head's religious origins
6. The Order
6-1. History of the Cult (19-th century - the middle of 20-th century)
6-2. Development of "the Order"
6-3. Collapse of Claudia's ideals, new chapter in the history of the cult
6-4. Cult's church
6-5. Wish House
7. Paradise
7-1. Theoretical and practical ideas of absolute Paradise
7-2. The treatise about aprioristic imperfection of the concept of Paradise
7-3. Reflections about pain and martyrs
7-4. Salvation of the chosen ones
7-5. "Everyone will be released, from pain and suffering!"
7-6. "Salvation of all Mankind"
7-7. "Mom! Let me in!" (Walter's vision of Paradise)
8. SECTS
8-1. Saint Ladies sect
8-2. Holy Mother sect
8-3. Common things in sects
8-4. Sect of the Lord
8-5. Religious Chaos
8-6. Valtiel sect
8-7. The unity of sects
9. White Claudia and the religion of Silent Hill.
9-1. What is White Claudia?
9-2. PTV, hallucinogenic properties.
9-3. Distribution.
9-4. White Claudia in SH2.
9-5. The role of White Claudia in the events of SH. White Claudia and the fog
9-6. The meaning of the name. Herbs in SH.
10. Rituals.
10-1. The origin of SH rituals
10-2 "21 Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother\Holy Assumption" (FAQ)
10-3. The ritual of burning
10-4. Ritual execution in Toluca prison
11. Metatron
11-1. Metatron and Samael, religious sources
11-2. the Seal of Metatron and the Mark of Samael
11-3. Functions and conditions of the Seal of Metatron\the Mark of Samael
11-4. Is the Seal of Metatron\Mark of Samael have a REAL power?
11-5. Why does the Seal of Metatron didn't worked in SH3?
12. Magical objects and books of Silent Hill
12-1. Flauros
12-2. (Aglaophotis)
12-3. The "Lost Memories" book
12-4. Artifacts for the ritual of Holy Assumption
12-5. The Book of Crimson Ceremony
12-6. The Crimson Tome
12-7. Otherworld Laws
12-8. The Seal of Metatron\Samael
12-9. The book " Silent Hill's Ancient Gods: A Study of Their Etymology
and Evolution " (About Syncretic Religions)
12-10. Sword of Obedience
12-11. The Holy Candle and the Saint Medallion
12-12. Spears of Holy Mother
12-13. The Scriptus of the cult\21 Sacraments
12-14. The Book of Praise
12-15. Channeling Stone
13. Halo of the Sun
13-1. Religious meaning of the "Halo of the Sun"
13-2. Signs on external circle of Halo of the Sun?
13-3. What is written on the Halo of the Sun?
13-4. The history of formating Halo of the Sun
PART 3: TOWN OF SILENT HILL [coming soon!]
PART 4: CHARACTER ANALYSIS
1. SH1 Characters
1-1. Harry (Harold) Mason
1-2. Cheryl Mason
1-3. Cybil Bennet
1-4. Michael Kaufmann
1-5. Lisa Garland
1-6. Dahlia Gillespie
1-7. Alessa Gillespie
1-8. Character rationality pattern in SH1 (compositional analysis)
1-9. Andy
2. SH2 Characters
2-1. James Sunderland
2-2. Angela Orosco
2-3. Eddie Dombrowski
2-4. Laura
2-5. Mary Sunderland
2-6. Maria. Part 1.
2-7. Maria. Part 2.
2-8. Ernest Baldwin
2-9. Amy Baldwin
2-10. Walter Sullivan in the context of SH2.
2-11. Joseph Barkin
2-12. Jack Davis
2-13. Joshua Lewis
2-14. Director of Brookhaven Hospital
2-15. Jennifer Carroll
2-16. The Orosco family.
2-17. The DOG (Mira)
2-18. Other SH2 characters
3. SH3 Characters
3-1. Harry Mason
3-2. Heather (cheryl) Mason
3-3. Douglas Cartland
3-4. Claudia Wolf
3-5. Vincent
3-6. Leonard Wolf
3-7. Stanley Coleman
3-8. Tattooed Guy
3-9. The subway incident victim
3-10. Joe, Jaime and their friend
3-11. Christie
3-12. Woman in the confession booth
3-13. The UFO guys
3-14. James Sunderland?
3-15. Other characters
4. SH4 Characters
4-1. Walter Sullivan. The way of Walter.
4-2. Henry Townshend. The way of Henry.
4-3. Eileen Galvin. The way of Eileen.
4-4. Frank Sunderland. The way of Frank (+a short history of SAHapts)
4-5. Joseph Schreiber. The way of Joseph.
4-6. Cynthia Velasquez.
4-7. Jasper Gein.
4-8. Andrew DeSalvo
4-9. Richard Braintree
4-10. South Ashfield Heights apartments residents.
5. SHDI Characters [to be translated]
6. SHAtD Characters.
6-1. Jason
6-2. Aaron
6-3. Dahlia
6-4. The soldiers
7. SH Paint it Black Characters [to be translated]
8. SH Grinnig Man Characters [to be translated]
9. SH Dead\Alive Characters [to be translated]
PART 5: CREATURE ANALYSIS [to be translated]
PART 6: SH the MOVIE PLOT ANALYSIS
1. Chronology
2. Characters
3. Creatures
4. Symbolism and References
COPYRIGHT
CREDITS
CONCLUSION
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ABOUT US/CONTACT US
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Team Listing
SilentPyramid - the author, who singlehandedly started this whole thing and
wrote the original text. All comments, questions and suggestions regarding the
plot analysis are to be sent to him ( silentpyramid@mail.ru ), but bear in mind
that his English skills are far from perfect, so some questions may be left
unanswered until the release of the translated FAQ section. By the way, you
can find original version of SilentPyramid's SH Plot Analysis in the
archive at "silenthillpa.nm.ru" (by the way, you can also find
other SilentPyramid's guides and FAQs there).
Darth_Blade - the head translator [and the guy who's typing all this up with a
38 degree fever %) - translator's note] and at the same time the laziest on
the team. Translated the whole Part 4, corrected other translations and wrote
some misc texts. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions regarding
the translation of the PA, send them to Darth_Blade on Das.Zlo@gmail.com
kl3r1k - translator of Part 2 and Part 6. Yes, he's the one who translated all
this amount of text to bring "religion" and "movie analysis" sections to you.
MadRushn - one of the first to sign up for the translation effort. Author of
the original translation of Part 1.
401st Stalker - author of the original translations of sections 12 and 14
of Part 2.
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UPDATE HISTORY
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21.05.05 - Initial release of the translated version
of Silent Hill Plot Analysis by SilentPyramid.
16.07.06 - release of the second version.
What's new in Version 2.0:
-Part 1 completely rewritten.
-Added subsection 3 of Part 4.
20.10.06 - release of the third version.
What's new in Version 3.0:
- Added translations of Part 2 (Religion of Silent Hill)
- Added translations of Part 6 (Silent Hill the Movie analysis)
20.05.07 - release of the version 3.1
Updates:
- Finally added translations for the missing sections 11-13 of Part 2
(Religion of Silent Hill). Also previous sections "12" and "14" of Part 2
were renamed to "9" and "10" respectively to match the numeration of the
sections in the original (untranslated) version of the guide.
Well, the translation process is quite tough and goes pretty slow,
but we're still trying to translate this guide into English for you ^__^
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PREFACE
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Welcome, reader. Welcome to Silent Hill. The foggy town, that seems to
manifest people's delusions and fears is about to yield its mysteries to you.
I, SilentPyramid, will lead you through the subconscious worlds of numerous
people, unravel the darkness of the town and let you have a taste of the
unknown you so fear...
This mighty tome of mysteries was written by me and my fellow observers, based
mostly on the info of the dark magisters of Konami with only one goal in mind
- to decipher the mysteries of the dark town called Silent Hill. This tome is
the place, where the closer and the lying figure, the puppet nurse and the
sniffer dog meet. No longer shall the mysteries of Silent Hill be explain with
"Thus is the will of Sammael" or the less prominent "Sammael works in
mysterious ways". No longer shall Silent Hill be deemed a town taken over by
demons. Yes, demons they are. Demons of the human soul...
The tome was first written in a mysterious eastern language and posted on the
forum, which consisted solely of the speakers of said tongue on the 20th of
the sixth month of the year two thousand and four. Still, mysteries popped up
one after another, as if mocking the author. But, having joined forces with
other like-minded individuals, the team was able to defeat most of the
secrets. Then, a movement appeared for the translation of the tome into
English, so that even those tainted by the profane could read it and atone
their sins. As we speak, minds and fingers from all over the land are working
hard to present it. Enjoy the honor, dear reader. Enjoy the honor and fear,
for Silent Hill never lets its victims away... unchanged.
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PART 1: MECHANICS
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Silent Hill - a town, where strange events happen more often than anywhere
else… Other worlds… Eternal memories… Birthing of Gods and mysterious
disappearances… Is there any logic to these seemingly unexplainable
things?
What is the driving force behind them? Are they interconnected?
The primary goal of Part 1 is to try and give a logical explanation to
all the supernatural events, basing all conclusions on official info from the
games or other sources. But remember, that everything here is THEORIES, so you
are not supposed to see it as the one and only true explanation. I hope these
explanations help you to understand the plot of the series better.
1. The Concept.
1-1. Power of the Mind.
The main ideas of the Silent Hill series are closely connected with
parapsychological and philosophical theories in the real world. It is
considered, that every human thought and emotion possesses a certain
amount of force, which can be characterized as "psychic energy". And the
stronger this thought or emotion is, the greater it's psychoenergetic
potential. In a nutshell, this energy allows the feeling to affect the
world around the person in general and other people in particular. In
other words, the products of one's psychic activities are not limited to
their own inner self, but can have outside effects.
That is exactly what the book in the school library of SH1 was supposed
to relay: "...Poltergeists are among these. Negative emotions, like fear,
worry, or stress manifest Into external energy with physical effects" -
thus, inner psychic activity can have outside effects of physical nature
and can even create such phenomena as poltergeists. That is a good
example of psychic energy. According to the mentioned book, negative
emotions (like fear, worry, pain or hatred) experienced by teenage girls
have the highest psychoenergetic potential. Nevertheless, we have seen
strong manifestations of this energy in various people in the games - be
it a middle-aged clerk, mourning the loss of his wife, a desperate and
suicidal girl, who murdered her father, or an orphan boy, who wants to
find his mother more than anything else in the world.
Another good example would be a particular girl, whose psychic energy was
so strong, that an entire town called Silent Hill was devoured by the
darkness of her inner world ("Due to the power of Alessa's thoughts, the
town is transfigured into the otherworld" - the role of *thoughts* is
noted in Lost Memories). We can also recall the negative feelings of the
prisoners of the Toluca Prison and the victims of the plague. These have
twisted the "power of the town" ("because of the unforeseen deaths of the
town's population, as well as the thoughts and feelings of the prisoners,
the original power that the town held was gradually distorted" - LM), but
that we'll discuss a bit later on.
1-2. Accumulation.
The psychic energy of thoughts and feelings has the ability to
concentrate in a particular location, which is somehow connected to the
source of the energy. Usually, such locations are places where strong
feelings have been experienced, possibly more than once. We could
theorize that this is the reason, why the natives believed, that spirits
inhabited the trees, water and earth.
And if a place comes to "store" the thoughts and feelings of a several
people, this place will eventually develop a "power" of it's own.
According to Lost Memories, the town of Silent Hill can be described as a
"spiritual sponge", which absorbs the energies of people's thoughts and
feelings in great quantities. Let us look at some of the most prominent
examples in the SH series (believe me, even the guy who wrote this whole
PA can't list ALL of them):
a) SH3: The negative thoughts of a particular suicidal girl are connected
to the merry-go-round in Lakeside Amusement Park and continue to exist
even after her death ("At the merry-go-round in the amusement park, the
"memory of Alessa (Alessa's obsession)" appears. In accordance with her
name, she is not Alessa herself but her profoundly dark emotion that
clings to this place" - LM).
b) SH2: The thoughts of a girl, who was burned alive by her mother as a
sacrifice to God still exist in the cult's church ("Alessa's thoughts
from her childhood linger in the church" - LM).
c) SH3: Bloody notes on the walls of the tunnel leading from the
amusement park to the church. According to Lost Memories, this is "The
voice of a believer that suggests self-sacrifice" - the thoughts of the
person, who sacrificed themselves to God became energy, which still
lingers in that tunnel.
d) SH2: The notes and letters of the director in SH2, Stanley Coleman's
diaries in SH3 and the notes and letters from Joseph Schreiber in SH4 -
all these are the memories and thoughts of dead people, which the
characters perceive as writings.
e) SH4: The psychic energy of the thoughts and feelings of a religious
fanatic, who sacrificed himself, was connected to an apartment and
continued to exist there after it's "owner"'s death, affecting all the
tenants of the building and even other people.
The basic concept of thoughts and feelings having some sort of mystic
power and connection to places derives from traditional Japanese beliefs.
Apart from SH, such influences can be found in many Japanese horror
stories:
a) The Ring - Sadako Yamamura's negative psychic energy continued to
exist in the well after her death and even affected a videotape and TV.
b) Dark Water - same here - the negative emotions of a drowned girl
lingers in the building, the girl searching for her mother.
c) Ju-On: The Grudge - the curse of a person, who died with hatred in
their heart continues to exist in places visited by that person. Those
who come in contact with this curse die and create a new curse.
1-3. The Inner (subconscious) world.
Some philosophers say that "Every man is a whole world", emphasizing the
depth and diversity of each person's spiritual world. According to the
ideas of the SH-series, an inner world exists subconsciously in every
single one of us. This world is made up of memories and concepts about
the real world mixed with various thoughts, fantasies, feelings and the
like. The inner world can very well reflect the fears, hopes and beliefs
of its "maker".
Understandably, some people (especially those with a strong imagination)
have far bigger and drawn-out inner worlds, filled with the strangest of
imagest. Others have a less developed inner world (which doesn't mean
it's not there). If you're having trouble understanding what such a world
would like, try to imagine, that you've just found yourself inside a
person's subconscious. There we have a country of foggy memories, there -
the state of delirious fantasies, inhabited by our greatest fears, there
- a village of images stuck in the subconscious and together it's all a
whole world, which you can travel and enjoy the... sights. And the "God"
of such would be that very person. The composition and contents of the
inner world are completely dependent on the personality and psychic
condition of its "maker" (each person's world is completely unique) - it
could become Paradise, but it has all the potential to be a Hell. It all
depends on the persons system values, world view, desires etc.
It's only reasonable to say that if separate thoughts and feelings have
"power" and "psychic energy", an inner world must also must have such
power, being able to affect the real world and other people. Accordingly,
after the death of its owner, the inner world should be able to continue
to exist as resident psychic energy in a particular place (for example,
Silent Hill), being something like a parallel world (although that's not
a very good analogy, I admit) on the border, where reality and unreality
intersect ("After all, there is no wall between here and there. It lies
on the borders where reality and unreality intersect. It is a place both
close and distant" - an explanation of a subconscious world given by a
doctor in Brookhaven hospital). The fact that such a world can actually
constitute a different reality of sorts leads us adopt the term used in
Lost Memories - "Otherworld".
To try and make understanding the concept a little easier, here's a
practical example from SH4: the inner world of a serial killer,
consisting of his memories, stereotypes and twisted fantasies continues
to exist in an apartment, influencing and drawing in the other tenants.
The mental instability of the world's creator leads to the chaotic and
confusing nature of the world ("If the subject's mind is in a state of
turmoil, the state of the otherworld will be chaotic as well" - LM).
1-4. Laws and limitations of the inner world.
The subconscious world also bows to certain laws and is subjects to some
limitations. What defines them? "His universe is different than ours --
it has limits. And in the limits of that universe, he rules as a king...
It is a world in extreme flux. Unexpected doors or walls, moving floors,
odd creatures, a world only he can control..." - the Crimson Tome tells
us of the seemingly chaotic inner world of a man. Only the "maker" of
this world can control it and establish the laws, which govern the
world's existance. It is not a conscious action (just as the very
creation of this world isn't). The laws form around the preconceptions
followed by the maker of the world (these preconceptions are manifested
in the inner world as these laws). Let's take a look at the games:
a) SH1: A little girl, influenced by the religious teachings of her
mother, truly believed in God and in her world this God existed.
b) SH1: A little girl believed that a certain liquid called "Aglaophtis"
can banish demons and this liquid (being just some sort of herbal mixture
in the real world) really does work in her world.
c) SH1: The same girl believed that a magical sign called "The Seal of
Metatron" possessed great power to destroy magic and "otherworlds" and
the drawing, *useless in the real world*, becomes a an artifact of great
importance in hers.
d) SH3: The Seal of Metatron loses its power, because the "maker" no
longer believes in its power (her belief in that the symbol is just a
piece of junk destroys its power).
e) SH4: A religious fanatic's beliefs in sacred swords, holy candles,
silver bullets that can kill ghosts etc. are reflected in his inner world.
1-5. Comparison of the subconscious world and reality.
After reading the above, we can distinguish two separate types of worlds:
a) Reality, objective world.
The outer world, that exists independent of the person psychic state.
This world is cruel and crushes anyone who opposes it. It is possible
that the cruelty of this world comes from the people that inhabit it -
tainted by sin, incapable of compassion, caring only about their personal
goals. "Why do they cling to this corrupt world?" But what happens if a
person can't bear to live in such a world?
b) Subconscious (subjective, inner) world.
What to do if a person can't accept the cruel reality the way it is? If
they can't exist in it? Heather gives us the answer to that question:
"Suffering is a fact of life. Either you learn to deal with that or you
go under. You can stay in your little dream world...". And that's just
it: You can stay in your little dream world. And when reality brings
nothing but suffering, when it surrounds the person with darkness, the
mind struggles to create a new reality to exist in. One, where it may be
possible to find happiness. "For him there is simply no other reality,
furthemore, he is happy there" - this is how a doctor in Brookhaven
hospital describes a patient, who has found happiness in denying the real
world and running away into the world of his own fantasies and delusions.
But what is this world? It is created by the subconscious and can make
any wish come true. Or rather, this world IS the subconscious - a mixture
of a person's memories, desires, hopes, a reflection of the true nature
of a person... It is like a perfect mirror, or a lake surface, reflecting
the one looking in, combining the subtlety of the image with the depth of
thought... But how does one get into that world? How does one climb into
the rabbit hole? To fully transfer into the subconscious world, one must
first sever all connections to reality. In part, this resembles autism -
a condition when the afflicted has problems making outside contacts and
prefers to dwell in the world of their personal thoughts.
1-6. Endless circuit. Theory of immortality.
It is obvious, that consciousness is inseparable from the body (in
particular, the brain), but does the death of the brain mean death of
consciousness, oblivion? That is a question many philosophers have tried
to answer throughtout the ages. Of course, consciousness is connected
with matter and cannot exist in total nothingness, but consciousness also
has the ablility to reflect matter in the subconsciousness (memory),
creating its own world of reflected matter (in this case the
consciousness is the mirror and subjective perceptions are flaws in the
mirror's surface). But if a consciousness somehow goes into this world
and is reflected in it, this world become the only reality for it. What
do we get then? The consciousness is locked in an eternal existance, an
endless circuit. It become completely autonomous. The whole thing is
reminiscent of the Circle of Ourobouros (used in SH1, by the way). Its
existance is continually fueled by the world it exists in ("nurtured by
that nightmare"). In such a case, the death of the body means little - it
just severs the last tie to reality, closing the way back. The
consciousness will not even realize this death, continuing its life in
the subconscious world. This is confirmed by Crimson Tome: "Anyone
swallowed up by that world will live there for eternity, undying".
The most prominent example of that would be SH4, where Walter Sullivan's
consciousness transferred to the subconscious world before the death of
the body. Thus, Walter, not realizing his own death in reality, went on
to live in its own world for 10 years.
1-7. Worlds mixing.
We know that a place can "absorb" the power of thoughts and feeling of
people. It can absorb the powers of several people's inner worlds. What
happens in that case? In that case, the world begin to "invade" each
other, the borders between them are blurred and in the end they merge
("Other worlds began to force their way into his universe and it began to
swell horribly"). For example, the town of Silent Hill contains the
worlds of a great number of people, which together create a communal
"otherworld". It would be logical to assume, that this world would be
governed by a rounded sum the laws governing its component worlds.
1-8. Influence.
I have already mentioned that the thoughts and feelings of people possess
a certain power. Let us now look at the effect this power has on people.
Judging by the events of the games, we can specify to particular types of
influence:
--The power of an inner world can drag other people into the world,
twisting their perception of reality and making them perceive the inner
world instead. A person under this kind of influence could find
themselves in another person's inner world. In other words, the maker of
the inner world is not the only being capable of coming in contact with.
--The power of thoughts and feelings can affect the personality, making a
person "possessed".
--Finally, the power of the mind can be used to take a life.
Further in the analysis we will closely research each type of influence,
providing examples from the games.
1-9. Who is vulnerable to the influence of such "powers"?
It's obvious, that the most susceptible would be people who have a
well-developed "sixth sense", that allows them to perceive the otherwise
invisible mystical power in some way. But what condition must the mind
attain to be the most open to psychic influence and easily drawn inside a
subconscious world? The games make it clear, that contacts with
"otherworlds" become more probable the farther one is removed from
reality. For example:
a) In a state of sleep (Richard Braintree, Frank Sunderland)
b) In a state of intoxication (Cynthia Velasquez), especially with
heavier drug substances (Peter Walsh)
c) In a low-visibility environment - like fog or darkness. According to
Lost Memories "Mist and darkness obstruct the horizon by creating a
condition in which visibility is limited. In other words, the boundary
between heaven and earth is obscured, which suggests a blurring of the
line between dream and reality".
d) We know that a person unhappy with life tends to withdraw from reality
more and more. Thus, the minds of people who have endured much suffering
in their lives are especially vulnerable to the influence of subconscious
worlds. This is confirmed by Lost Memories: "people with afflicted minds
are easily drawn to the otherworld". And that is why Silent Hill, when it
becomes a concentration point for numerous people's psychic energies,
starts to "attract" other sufferers with darkness in their hearts, akin
to a magnet.
1-10. Reality, illusion and hallucination.
To fully analyze the SH plot I had to read through a couple of psychology
books on the topic of hallucinations - here I shall write a summary, that is
required for anyone who wants to understand SH.
a) Reality - the way the surrounding world is perceived by “normal”
people, i.e. the true form and content of an object equal the form and
content of that object’s image in human consciousness. If it’s easier for
you I shall rephrase: the true (objective) object=subjective perception
of that object.
Still don’t get it, do you? Hmm…Tough luck… Let’s cook up an example from
life: on the table there is a bottle of healthdrink, the dear reader
wakes up from heavily celebrating Christmas last night, stares at the
bottle of healthdrink and SEES (i.e. perceives) just a bottle of
healthdrink. Did that make things clearer :)?
b) Hallucinations - This really shouldn’t happen to “normal” people, i.e.
the false perception of the surrounding world. What is (or at least
supposed to be) “false”? - something that only the “insane” can see and
no one else - i.e. the hallucinations of one person can never be seen by
anyone, except the “psycho” (Here is an interesting and thought-provoking
write-out from Lost Memories (the one about Red Devil and Walter
Sullivan): “Sullivan says that he saw a “red devil”. What was it that he
saw? - No one besides Sullivan himself can really know what he saw.” -
this is quite relevant, isn’t it ;)?? And do these “false images”, that
are seen only by the psycho, actually look like?
These are elements of human subconsciousness (images from the
subconsciousness), that had “floated” to the surface and overlapped with
reality. Why doesn’t anyone else see them? As they exist only in the
subconsciousness of a single person and do not in fact exist in reality,
so no one else can perceive them.
Example: my dear reader, having had a gulp from the bottle described in
part a), is running around the Christmas tree, waving his hands around and
screaming: “Help! He’s going to kill me! Santa Claus is after me!”
It is therefore clear that hallucinations do not depend on reality.
c) Illusion - sometimes it happens to “normal” people/ The thing about
illusion is that a a person perceives a real object somehow differently,
in his own way, too subjective. It often happens because of the increasing
expectation (a “premonition”) or an emotional pressure along with such
factors as sight defects (i.e. visual perception), hazy visibility (at
night, for example). The principle is that a person sees something not
completely, but partially (for example an object is hard to see) - then
the consciousness automatically “finishes off” the object’s image,
according to that person’s mood and to the information from that person’s
subconsciousness. It’s a bit hard to describe, so let me draw you an
example: “Evening time, my dear reader wanders down the road. It’s
getting darker, misty too it seems, he cannot see much and my dear reader
has been playing Silent Hill for half a day just before going for this
here walk. - so now obviously he’s scared shi…sufficiently scared - he
makes his way trough the mist, leaping from every shadow, turning to
follow every sound and being uneasy from the sound of his very own
footsteps etc. - anyway a complete suspense. A bit further down the road
comes another man, but my dear reader cannot quite see him (mist and
darkness, remember?) - so the only thing my dear reader sees is a ghastly
silhouette, looming in front of him. The reader, as I have already
mentioned, has spent some time playing SH and now (thanks to the
impressions from the game) is actually ready to see a monster in front of
him. He squints at the silhouette - and voila! He actually starts seeing
a monster. Of cause, my dear reader immediately takes out his UZI and
takes a quick burst at the upcoming “monster” (i.e. a person that he sees
as a monster.)”
Hehehe, does that example remind you of something? Let’s change it a bit:
“A man comes back from the Church (after listening a sermon on the coming
of Christ) through the mist, he is a religious fanatic - then he in the
looming shape of a bystander (or of a dog\bush\post) he shall see an
angel or something like that :)”
1-11. Subjective perception.
Hiroyuki Owaku, the writer of SH2 and SH3, once said that the concept of
the series is based around philosophical theories of subjective
perception of reality. The gist of it all is that every person sees the
world differently, depending on their personality and world-view. After
all, we really CAN'T perceive the world objectively, because we only have
what our senses are able to relay to us - thus, one object can be
perceived differently be two people: a normal person would see a green
object, while a color-blind person would see it as gray. An objective
element of reality can be perceived as evil by one person and as good by
another. A "normal" person perceives reality as it is generally thought
to be, while a psychically unstable person has a nightmarish world full
of monsters. And with that comes an interesting mechanism: the mind tends
to avoid anything that brings it suffering, allowing people to perceive
the world the way the want it to be. And that is how numerous subjective
views of the world are constructed. In a sense, we can never see the
absolute objective truth and only see what we want to see.
In the SH series, these theories are represented by a "balanced" state
between reality and subconscious worlds. While under the influence of a
inner world's power, a person is balancing between two opposed realities,
which twists their perception and makes them see a mixture of reality and
the inner world. The ground may seem to be a lattice, the walls -
pulsating hunks of flesh. But that doesn't mean that the ground and walls
are REALLY that way. Others may see it as normal ground or just see a
bottomless pit (depending on the world they are influenced by and the
degree of that influence). "In the otherworld , the world is seen
differently depending on the person" - LM.
As always, here are some examples from the games to make understanding
the concept simpler:
a) SH2: The conversations between James and Laura ("What a little girl
like you doing here anyway? - Are you blind or something??" or "You don't
even have a scratch on you! - Why should I?") make it clear that the two
are seeing different worlds. James sees an abandoned town full of
horrible monsters, while Laura sees a small resort town. "To her the town
appears to be normal; she does not see any monsters, nor does she see
Maria" - LM. But which one of them sees the REAL Silent Hill? It could be
that both of them only see what they want to see.
b) SH2: Angela lives in a world full of flames, that brings constant
pain. "For me it's always like this...", she says when James's world
touches hers for a little while. Eddie sees a world of cold-blooded
murders, resembling a huge meat factory.
c) SH2: The scene in the maze. James sees a horrible monster attack
Angela. Angela, in turn, adresses the monster as her father ("No daddy!
Please! Don’t!"). Apparently, the two see the monster differently - one
as a monster, the other - as a the image of her father from her memories.
d) SH2: Near the end of the game, Angela sees James as her mother for a
short time and even calls out to him as if he was her ("Mama! Mama, I was
looking for you. Now you’re the only one left. Maybe then.... Maybe then
I can rest. Mama, why are you running away? You’re not Mama. It’s you...
I, I’m sorry.."). It may be that she wanted to meet her deceased mother
so much, that her mind was eager to perceive any appropriate object as
her. Thus, not only the world can be perceived subjectively, but other
people too.
e) SH3: According to Lost Memories, the Missionary is a member of the
cult, whom Heather sees as a monster ("Cult member transfigured by
Claudia's power, to Heather's eyes the appearance it takes is that of a
monster" - LM), which again shows us an example of subjective perception.
1-12. Descent.
I have already mentioned, that the "otherworld" that exists as a form of
psychic energy can be explained as kind of alternate reality. And this
reality can affect other people, drawing them inside itself. Initially, a
person is affected only by one world (reality) is put into a position
between two worlds and sees somewhat of an average of the two. In a
sense, it is a transitive state, with one half of the consciousness being
inside the subconscious world and the other being in reality. And that
balance is not static - as we have seen in the games, at times the mind
can go deeper into unreality, at other times - retreat back to reality.
We have all seen the game world change suddenly in the games. For
example, the "misty Silent Hill" and the "night Silent Hill" are closer
to reality, while the "nightmarish Silent Hill" and the "Nowhere" are
closer to the otherworld.
But when the influence of a subconscious world becomes sufficiently
strong, whatever links the mind to reality become weak and the
consciousness fully descends into the alternate reality, perceiving only
it (which is more akin to hallucinations or dreams, than illusion). There
are numerous examples of that in the games, but I'll only point out some
of the more general:
a) SH1: Because of the influence of an "otherworld" the main character
and a group of other people slowly descend deeper and deeper in the world
of nightmares created by a small girl - and the more power this world
gains, the more horrible it appears to the characters.
b) SH4: Under the influence of dead maniac's thoughts, people start to
get drawn into his subconscious world.
1-13. What really happens to a person, who is in subconscious?
What happens to the physical body while the consciousness wanders the
subconscious world? There are three basic opinions on that, and each of
them is supported by several facts in the games, but none of them is the
the one and only truth. Most probably, the truth is a combination of all
three:
a) The characters are sleeping.
First of all, a small note: not only is the world perceived by the
protagonist the way it really is, but their own body may not be so. In
some instances, we can be almost sure that it is not the body, but a
representation of the self in the inner world. Just like when you're
experiencing all kinds of misadventures during nightmares, your body is
sleeping soundly in bed (see "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Cell"). Let's
take a look at the games:
-- SH4. During your first visit to the Building World, return to the
apartment and look out of the window. You will see, that while Richard
Braintree is trapped in the "otherworld" of Walter's subconscious, his
body is lying in his apartment - he's sleeping.
-- SH4. Similarly, when Eileen Galvin is wandering the "otherworld" with
Henry, her physical body is in St.Jerome Hospital.
-- SH1. After one of the numerous transitions Harry finds himself in an
alternate version of the "Green Lion" and says an interesting line: "I
don't know what's real anymore... I could have had a car accident and now
I'm lying unconscious in a hospital bed... but maybe this is all just
going on in my head". And one of the Bad endings implies that all the
time Harry was in the "Otherworld" his body was in the car, bleeding out
after the crash.
b) The characters wander the town, incorrectly perceiving it.
The sleep theory, while good, can't explain all the events of the series.
For example, if Heather was sleeping her head off in some gutter, how did
she manage to get home after all? The same goes for James, the idea of
whom sleeping in the toilet during all the events of the game is... a
little dubious.
It would be logical to assume that the link between the consciousness and
the physical body during alteration of perception is akin to the
transition from normal perception to illusion and then - hallucination.
The deeper the mind goes into the subconscious, the weaker that link is
(accordingly, the extreme would be a complete separation from the
physical body, resulting in death). In the cases, where the consciousness
is still strongly in touch with reality, alteration of perception
manifests itself as a distorted perception of the real - the person walks
around the town (mall, subway, etc.) and almost all of their actions
happen in the real world too. But as the influence of the "otherworld"
grows, the affected person approaches a state of catatonia or delirious
sleep.
Here's an example from SH3: Heather "switches" to the nightmare
perception on the second floor of Brookhaven Hospital. In that state, she
goes downstairs to room C4. There she finds a ladder, which wasn't there
before. She uses it to climb down a strange HOLE and ends up in a
nightmarish sewer. But when she return to normal perception, she comes to
in room C4. From this we can try and rebuild the events as they happened
in the real world: Heather goes into nightmare mode on the second floor,
went downstairs, entered room C4 and then lost consciousness (the ladder
and the sewer were just a delusion) and woke up after some time there.
That way b) doesn't really contradict a).
c) People vanish from the real world!?
Some moments in the series could lead one to believe, that in certain
circumastances people who are drawn into an "otherworld" simply vanish
from the real world without a trace. This would seem to be a load of
bull... but still... we know that during the transition from a
subconscious world to reality the character simply vanishes from the
former.
Example from SH4: When Cynthia's consciousness returns to reality for a
short time, she vanishes from the Subway World. The same happens to Henry
in the Hospital World ("You just disappeared all of a sudden!").
But can that mechanism work in the opposite direction? If we assume that
"absolute reality" doesn't exist and that matter is relative, the "real"
and "subconscious" worlds become equal, with the former simply having
more minds enclosed in it. In this case, a person vanishing from the
"real" world at transition to another is no big deal.
SH4 note: The story of Peter Walsh, who hasn't been seen since climbing
the stairs in front of his friends (to become trapped in a subconscious
world of a maniac and find his death there) support the "vanishing"
theory. But Richard's body lying in the real world says that the body
doesn't vanish. What determines the chances of a body vanishing is
another mystery left by the authors for fans to crack their heads on.
1-14. Death in reality and in the "otherworld".
Let's look now at how the death of the body affects the mind's presence
in the "otherworld" and death in the "otherworld" affects the body.
a) The influence of a subconscious world can lead to death in the real
world.
The deeper the mind descends into an "otherworld", the weaker its link to
the physical body becomes. But what happens when that link is finally
severed? The answer can be found in Joseph Schreiber's notes: "You've
seen that world as well... But if you get sucked into it, it's not just a
nightmare. Don't get lost in there. If you get pulled in, you'll be
killed". If the consciousness separates from the body completely,
physical death occurs. But what does this death look like?
SH4: Under the influence of Walter's world, Joseph Schreiber slowly dies.
"My head hurts... My eyes are starting to go blind... The pain... I can
feel my body starting to die...". We can assume that such a death is
preceded by a strong headache.
SH1: According to the SH1 plot commentary, one officer Gucci, who was
investigating the cult's drug operations, died because of Alessa's
"power" (basically, the power of her thoughts and feelings). "Officer
Gucci unlikely to be murdered. He apparently died naturally. But medical
records show Officer Gucci Had no prior symptoms of Heart disease". Thus
we can also assume that a death caused by the influence of an
"otherworld" resembles a heart attack.
SH4: If you get the "21 Sacraments" ending, Walter's subconscious world
accumulates immense power and begins to affect all residents of the South
Ashfield Heights Apartment Building. "All other residents of South
Ashfield Heights have been rushed to St. Jerome's Hospital, many
complaining of severe chest pains". Can this be somehow connected with
officer Gucci's death?
By the way, the aforementioned "Ring" reference comes to mind - in the
book, Sadako Yamamura could use her telekinetic abilities to kill people.
Her victims died of heart failure.
b) The power of thoughts can kill people.
Yes, in the context of the SH-series, it's quite true. "She could make
things happen with her mind. She could kill people just by wishing for
it" - a description of girl, whose psychic energy was strong enough to
affect people in lethal ways (and as we learn in SH4, there were many
such children). If you ever wish somebody to die, be careful. Who knows,
maybe it'll come true?
c) How does death in the "otherworld" affect the body.
There are several possible variants present in the games. Let's look at
them:
SH1: Harry dies in the very beginning of the game, but wakes up in the
cafe. The good endings imply that this death did not result in the body's
death. Like in a dream - if you die in the dream, you'll still wake up,
knowing that this was just a dream.
SH3: There are several instances in the game, where Heather can die in
the "otherworld", but be alright in reality (for example, the dream at
the start of the game). But if she, while wandering the town with altered
perception, falls from a REAL roof or under a REAL train, she will die.
SH4: For some reason, people's deaths in the "otherworld" affects their
bodies. "I do know that if you get killed here... Then you die in the
real world too". Recall "Nightmare on Elm Street".
Conclusion: as we can see, the mechanics of the "otherworld" vary with
the installments of the series. We can theorize, that the strength of the
world's influence determines its effects on reality, along with the laws
established by the maker of that world. Finally, the location can also
play some role here - particularly, IN Silent Hill, or OUTSIDE Silent
Hill.
d) Are wounds received in the "otherworld" reflected on the real body?
Judging by what we've seen so far, no, they don't. But SH4 hints that
they MAY appear on the body if the person dies in the "otherworld"
(Walter's victims are the best example).
SH1-3: There is nothing to point out that injuries inflicted by the
monsters are reflected on the real body.
SH4: Eileen was injured in the "otherworld" (Walter broke her arm,
damaged her eye and gave her an overall heavy beating) but in the
endings, where she doesn't die we can see her in the real world - her eye
and arm are fine and she doesn't even have a bruise! Makes me wonder...
SH4: But if Eileen dies in the "otherworld", we get a news report on the
radio, which tells us, that "The woman was immediately rushed to St.
Jerome’s Hospital, but died a short time later of her INJURIES". In
addition, according to the police reports, the bodies of Walter's victims
were found with wounds identical to those received in the "otherworld"
(Jasper Gein's corpse is burned, for example). We can only assume that
the injuries are only reflected if the victim dies.
e) Death in the "otherworld" is not final.
While in an "otherworld", one (or, rather, one's consciousness)
practically can't REALLY die. It is doomed to exist in the world (at
least until the world itself is somehow destroyed). See 1-6 for details.
SH4: No matter how many times you kill the "man in blue coat", he will
still come back, because the laws of his world make him immortal.
SH4: Despite the fact that death in Walter's world leads to death of the
physical body, the victims continue to exist in the "otherworld" as
ghosts.
1-15. Spirits.
So, what happens to those swallowed up by an "otherworld"? The Crimson
Tome has something to say about that: "Anyone swallowed up by that world
will live there for eternity, undying. They will haunt that realm as a
spirit". Such spirits become trapped in the world, forced to exist
according only to its laws. Such laws may, for example, turn people into
monsters or ghosts.
SH1-3: A nurse, who used to work in the Alchemilla Hospital was devoured
by the "otherworld" and continued her existance there even after her
death, doomed to eternal suffering. The laws of the world transformed her
into a horrible monster nurse.
SH4: Walter's victims, after dying in his world, take the form of
invincible, undying, restless ghosts.
1-16. Possessed.
One form of psychoenergetic influence is described in the occult magazine
in SH3: "The souls of those who had died suddenly by suicide or accident
don't realize they're dead. Sometimes they stay put and haunt the
particular place. These spirits have lost their human senses and memories
and can only keep replaying the pain and sadness of the moment they died.
The pain can get so bad that they turn to humans for salvation - or they
begrudge humans they lives. At such times they can posess humans. Places,
known as 'famous suicide spots' or 'high accident areas' are allways to
blame".
In other words, people's souls (and a soul in our case is also an entity
of psychoenergetic potential) can also be absorbed into locations and
continue to exist as ghosts. Usually, they lose all recollection of their
lives and simply repeat the moments of their death. When the pain gets
especially bad, the influence increases and can affect other people by
means of POSSESSION, affecting the behavior and personality of the
victim. You should be careful if you find yourself in a place, that has
accumulated the souls of dead people. You could easily get under their
influence.
But a person can be possessed not only by a soul of a dead man, but also
by other kinds of psychic energy - such as thoughts and feelings. Let's
get started on the examples:
SH1: Falling under the influence of Alessa Gillespie's power, Cybil
Bennet becomes possessed by the girl's overwhelming feeling of hatred and
loses all control of herself, attacking Harry.
SH3: As she regains her lost memories, Heather becomes more and more
possessed by a different person.
SH4: The resident of 302 receives the memories of the previous tenant,
changing their memories.
SH4: Eileen Galvin slowly becomes possessed by Walter's childhood
memories and loses control of her actions.
1-17. The spiral of reincarnation.
After the physical body's death, the soul of the deceased may transfer
itself into another person (see Occult Magazine), possessed by the
psychic energy. And in some cases this soul can overpower the intial
personality and thus be "reborn", gain a new life in a new body. But it
can also be in a dormant state, not showing its presence most of the time.
An obvious example is SH3: the soul of a dead girl, dormant in Heather
for a long time (in her subconscious, actually) begins to slowly wake up
and replace Heather's personality.
1-18. Monsters. Could they be?...
An "otherworld" can be filled with strange creatures, born from the
mind's subconscious - most of them are bloodthirsty monsters, attacking
the characters on sight. But what is the nature of the monsters? Are they
real, illusion or hallucination?
a) Are the monsters real?
Just like the inner world, the monsters can't really be called real (they
certainly aren't evil mutants actually living in the town) - they're only
real to those who can perceive them. Other people may not see the
monsters at all, or see them differently.
SH2: If PyramidHead and his Great Knife were actual matter, I think James
would look more like a mass of bloody meat... And can REAL wounds
inflicted by REAL monsters be so easily healed by drinking some potion?
SH2: The notes found near a corpse read: "I saw those demons. They were
there, I'm certain. But my friend says he didn't see anything. If that's
true, does that mean that what I saw was an illusion?". Not everyone can
see monsters, which deals another heavy blow to their "reality".
SH2: Eddie says that he didn't see any "red pyramid things" ("James: You’
re not friends with that red, pyramid thing, are you? Eddie: Red pyramid
thing? I don’t know what yer talkin’ about. Honest"). Apparently, he
doesn't see James' monsters.
SH2: Laura doesn't see any monsters, which once again proves that they
are not objectively real. She doesn't perceive James' world, so she
doesn't perceive the monsters in it.
SH3: After the mall level Douglas says "And that monster, what the hell
was that?". Obviously, if two or more people are under the influence of
one world, they can see the same monsters and these monsters are real to
them.
SH1: When Kaufmann first meets Harry, he says: "Something's gone
seriously wrong. Did you see those monsters?". Since both are in the same
"otherworld", they both see its monsters.
b) "Monsters? They look like monsters to you?"
In one of his interviews, Hiroyuki Owaku, emphasizing the idea of
subjective perception in Silent Hill, said this about monsters: "Maybe
they are human beings just like you, maybe even your neighbors. What you
see might be true or false". So the monsters are... people? Normal
people, living in the town? Proof of this can be found throughout the
games:
SH2: The key to the Woodside Apartment Building is held by a monster (a
Lying Figure dressed in a jacket and pants). Also near the monster is a
map, where the entrance to Woodside is marked. So, the monster drew the
map, took the key and died before reaching WSA. That's one strange
monster...
SH2: Another dead Lying Figure dressed in jacket and pants can be found
in the streets. There are several notes on the ground around it. "I'm
going to write everything that I've learned so far. Maybe that will help
you out somehow. If you're reading this, it probably means I'm already
dead" - could this have been written by a monster? But it WAS written by
that monster - only, it's James who sees a monster in what is a simple
dead man.
SH2: The same notes describe monsters: "It seems that they're attracted
to light; They also react strongly to sound; those creatures can be
killed". They can see, they can hear (and in SH3 they can smell also) and
can be killed. Just like humans.
SH2: In the south-western part of town, on the bridge (destroyed in
James' world) there is another dead Lying Figure with a map next to it.
The parking lot and bowling are marked on the map. So, monsters have cars
and like to play bowling?
SH2: Remember the place, where you kill your first monster? Visit it
later (after the hospital) and you'll find the gate closed and sealed
with a police line. Why is the police investigating the murder of a
monster? Is Sunderland a suspect?
SH2: During their last meeting, Angela sees James as her mother. If
Angela can see James (a living human) as her dead mother, then James can
probably see other people as monsters.
SHPB: When Cybil sees a monster dog for the first time, it is far in the
distance. If you look closely, you'll see that it's an ordinary dog, fur
and all - but in the next frame we see a Groaner. Now, did Cybil mistake
a monster for a dog or a dog for a monster?
SH3: Info taken from Lost Memories: "'Missionary'. Cult member
transfigured by Claudia's power, to Heather's eyes the appearance it
takes is that of a monster" - now it's an official source that clearly
states that the monster is a cult member, whom Heather perceives as a
monster. Harry was right when he wrote "I mean, appearances can be
deceiving".
SH3: For a number of reasons, Heather only sees Leonard as a monster.
SH3: Let's look at LM again: "Even now I get lots of questions about the
true nature of creatures. What Vincent says in the library room is
something that was provided as an answer to this question". So no, it
wasn't some crazy joke, unlike what many fans like to believe. Let us
recall that episode:
Vincent: "You’re the worst person in this room. You come here and enjoy
spilling their blood and listening to them cry out. You feel excited when
you step on them, snuffing out their lives."
Heather: "Are you talking about the monsters?"
Vincent: "Monsters...??? They look like monsters to you?"
(Heather is shocked. Horrified by the momentary understanding of what she
has done, she only says "oh no...", it looks like she's about to vomit)
Vincent: "Don’t worry, it’s just a joke. ;) "
There are more examples, but I think the above, coupled with one of the
authors' comments is enough to prove, that oftentimes, when killing
monsters, we were killing normal people, who the characters saw as
twisted creatures, symbolizing their fear, hatred etc. As Cybil said,
"before you pull the trigger, know who you're shooting". But how can a
deluded person tell who they're shooting at if they believe they're
shooting a monster? Never arm a psycho.
Most people have trouble killing others of their kind. It invokes a sense
of guilt, psychological pain (remember James in the meat factory: "I... I
killed a... a HUMAN being... A HUMAN being..."), but I've already
mentioned that the mind tends to avoid pain if possible. And killing a
monster isn't that much of a moral problem: "Well I guess you’re not a
person anyway" - Heather says with a wry smile and kills him. It may very
well be, that alteration of perception is a result of the mind's desire
to escape reality. The "monster-human" parallel is one of the most
interesting ideas in the series: it makes the player reflect on their
actions to compare the protagonist's perception with possible reality, it
increases immersiveness and fear factor and also is a very prominent
representation of the theme of guilt, present in the series. Lastly, it
is a good way to fend off moralists.
Real-world analogy: at this point we can refer to existing criminological
theories, which state that some mentally unstable assaulters attack their
victims not because of some sort of personal resentment, but only because
they see them as representations of their fears, memories, etc. For
example, attacks on children are often identified to have subconscious
motives when they are committed as a way of releasing frustration caused
by childhood experiences of emotional unacceptance by parents, or heavy
feelings of guilt incited by them. In such cases, the victim is perceived
as a symbol of one's unhappy childhood and the assaulter attempts to
destroy this symbol to free themselves from the frustration.
c) Are all monsters real people?
Despite Owaku's commentary, I still have my doubts about *ALL* monsters
being real people. There are cases where monsters CAN'T be people. Some
of them have to be either souls of the dead trapped in the "otherworld"
or the characters' hallucinations.
SH1: It must be obvious to anyone that the flying mothlike monsters are
an element of Alessa's world, not flying residents of Silent Hill.
SH4: It's quite hard to imagine that the dogs that walked out of the
men's toilet in the beginning of the game are somehow connected to the
real world.
1-19. God of the inner world.
One thing that is present in all installments is a strange creature,
living in the deepest corners of the subconscious world - God. Of course,
the nature of this God changes each time. It possesses the greatest power
in the subconscious world, but its role should not be overestimated -
it's origin is the same as all the other creatures: a manifestation of
the person's delusions ("'God' is the result of someone's delusions just
like the other creatures" - LM).
Let's take a look at God in the games:
a) Silent Hill 1: Alessa's God\Samael. The product of Alessa's hatred and
religious beliefs. Her pain, hate and the desire to die were manifested
in the form of an angel of death, which, appropriately, is supposed to
bring death to all people (whom Alessa hates) and free Alessa from the
pain of life. Thus, God reflects the destructive part of the girl's
personality, her strongest feelings and subconscious desires, which
served as catalyst at the creation of her own world. But the point
remains that God is simply a construct, created by a human mind.
b) Silent Hill 2: There is no particular God here per se (which can
partly be blamed on James' seemingly nonreligious nature). But the
functions of such a God a perfectly well served by PyramidHead. As we
know, James suffers from an overwhelming feeling of guilt desired to be
punished ("That’s why I needed you.... Needed someone to punish me for my
sins") and PyramidHead is the perfect manifestation of this subconscious
guilt. In James' subconscious world, he attacks him, kills Maria and
sticks the painful truth in James' face. In a nutshell, the God of James'
world is James himself, particularly, the destructive part of his
personality.
Another creation that could be named a God is "Mary" - the final boss. A
reflection of James' confused feelings towards Mary's death, taking the
twisted form of an upturned victim of a skewering.
c) Silent Hill 3: Alessa's\Claudia's God. Due to the power of Alessa's
beliefs the nature of God remains the same, but its image changes,
because of the merging between Alessa's subconscious feelings and
Claudia's delusions, desires and memories. The God is now something like
a cross between the original SH1 Demon and Alessa. It bears the latter's
face (because Claudia believed that God should look like her) but if you
take a closer look at her body, you'll notice that it is that of Samael
(because Claudia implanted Alessa's soul in herself and the God was a
creation of Alessa's mind).
d) Silent Hill 4: The Room: The fetus. An orphan named Walter Sullivan
couldn't bear with the surrounding reality. He needed support, care and
love that he did not receive in his childhood. He wanted someone to love
him, to hide from the terrible world. And so he created her - the Mother.
His subconscious world reflects that - the outer world is represented as
something horrible (the subway world, the water prison, you name it), it
is filled with fear and loathing ("he was still filled with bitterness
and resentment towards the rest of the world" - Joseph Schreiber) and the
center of that world is South Ashfield Heights (seen as an enormous
living organism) and especially room 302 as his Mother (and at the same
time her womb), where God (the fetus) resides. Basically, it is a
representation of Walter's desire to be in the safety of a loving
mother's womb.
As we can see, "God" is the manifestation of a person's strongest desires
in their own subconscious world. Being the representation of the
strongest feeling there is, it gets only stronger if that feeling grows
(that is why Dahlia Gillespie and Claudia Wolf nurtured their respective
Gods by feeding the "mothers'" feelings of hatred and suffering). And as
it gets stronger, the world it resides in also gains a stronger
influence, affecting more and more people. Dying Inside has an
interesting phrase - "God is Good, YOU are Evil" - i.e. it is possible to
create a paradise using an inner God, but only if the inner world is the
perfect image of that paradise. Only, people are never perfect. "YOU are
Evil". When Heather asks Vincent "'God'? Are you sure you don’t mean
'Devil'?" he doesn't answer "Whichever YOU like" just to freak her out.
While God is the product of the same power in every installment, it is
strictly subjective. It can be God or Devil, because it only reflects the
nature of the person who created it.
1-20. Reality of the "otherworld".
The "otherworld" can't be called reality in the full sense of the word,
because it can only be perceived by a minority of people, effects in an
"otherworld" rarely translate to reality. But we also know that "reality"
is only that, which is thought to be real. Thus, if an inner world gains
enough power, it can swallow up all people and can easily become reality.
Would that be the dawn of a new world? Would that world be hell or
paradise? That is question yet unanswered.
2. The Power of Silent Hill.
Silent Hill. A sacred place where the deepest feelings and memories live
forever. What is the mysterious power of the town... what are its origins?
2-1. The Silent Call.
Pain... Suffering... Hatred... these feelings have always been associated
with the town of Silent Hill. Times went on - from sacrifices, to the
Civil War, to religious conflicts and sadistic executions. The minds of
the victims of these times refused to take in the cruel reality and
descended into their own subconscious worlds. But even their all of their
pain and hatred lived and they continued their existance in the town,
merging, slowly creating a single horrible "otherworld" filled with
terror and bloodthirsty monstrosities, born of sick and wounded minds.
With time, the concentration of this negative energy in Silent Hill
became so great, that the town itself gained a tremendous "power" and
became a sort of a magnet, attracting all such energy, calling to people
with darkness in their hearts. "This Town called you too, James".
2-2. Alteration.
Under certain conditions, a person who comes to Silent Hill can fall
under the influence of the "otherworld" (more so for those with "darkness
in their hearts"). What will the town look like to that person?
a) Communication
Under the influence of the town's power, people begin to perceive
elements of other people's worlds, feelings, thoughts. That is because in
an otherworld the limitations of reality disappear and people's thoughts
can contact without concern of time ("It would seem that in the
otherworld, time and physical limitations are transcended and peoples'
thoughts are communicated" - LM). That is why in the otherworld we can
find notes and diaries, which are reflections of other's thoughts or even
meet the souls of long dead people.
SH2: the director's notes and the patients' diaries are all reflections
of people's thoughts, that take written form in the otherworld. The
ability to meet and speak with Ernest Baldwin is evidence of contact with
the dead being possible. The fact that at some point James can perceive
the inner worlds of Angela and Eddie can also be interpreted as contact
of thoughts.
SH3: 17 years later the Harry's notes still remain in the otherworld - it
would appear that time isn't a factor here... The woman in the church is
proof of communication with the dead and Stanley's diaries are
reflections of his thoughts.
b) Manifestation of one's subconsciousness.
Of course, people under the influence of Silent Hill's power do not only
perceive other's worlds. They also see manifestations of their own world!
The thoughts and feelings of a person inside Silent Hill are merged with
the bigger "otherworld" (you could say that the town feeds on them) and
is manifested in the form of strange images born in the subconscious.
SHDI: The town feeds on the nightmares and demons, created by the mind of
Troy Abernati, whose heart is filled with darkness.
SH2: The town absorbs the fears and delusions of a clerk, who come there
in search of his dead wife. They are manifested in the form of horrible
monsters, labyriths, formed of memories, etc.
SH2: Different people perceive the world differently, depending on which
world's influence is stronger in them and also on the contents of their
own worlds (which are reflected in the "otherworld" and slowly merge into
it).
The "otherworld" of Silent Hill is not just another, dark side of the
town. It is also a reflection of the collective unconscious, the average
of all subconscious worlds and psychic energy in it.
2-3. Otherworld outside of Silent Hill.
SH3 and SH4 show us that the influence of inner worlds is not limited to
Silent Hill. Of course, Silent Hill did accumulate a great power over the
course o history, but the source of that power is the human mind,
people's thoughts and feelings ("the human mind is where the otherworld
dwells and holds power" - LM). Therefore, the psychic energy phenomenon
doesn't have to be connected to Silent Hill in any way. It can manifest
itself anywhere, provided the feelings are sincere and truly strong. And
this means that any location (not just SH) can accumulate "otherworld"
energies. It could even be a simple apartment...
_______________________________________________________________________________
PART 2: RELIGION OF SILENT HILL
_______________________________________________________________________________
PART 2
RELIGION OF SILENT HILL
From immemorial time there is the special religion in the city, started in
the ancient Indian stories. Religion of pain and suffers, of
self-sacrifice for rescue. It is considered, that the belief supports the
person in a life, gives a Hope... But what the religion of Pain can give
to the person? Whether it is able to clear the person's from suffering of
a sin, from the nasty of a material world and to make him better, to open
the Gates to Paradise?
Let's closely look on the religion of the Silent Hill, to understand
events of game better, psychology of characters and, probably even, to
answer the philosophical questions above.
1. MYTHOLOGY ANALYSIS
Doctrine of a cult "the Order" is an ancient myth about the Birth of the
God, and was passing from father to son ("a myth that has passed down over
the years") and then it was written down as six pictures. My opinion is,
for the high-grade analysis of religion of SH it is necessary to begin
with the careful analysis of its mythological side since here we can
establish bases of religious beliefs and beliefs of the cultists, and also
to learn more about a history of a cult. But I want to warn you - since it
is a religious MYTH (besides edited by "leaders" of a cult) there is a lot
of symbolical elements, a mix of real historical events with religious
fiction - and so I recommend to approach to myths kind an abstract.
1-1. Origin
The text: "In the beginning people had nothing. They bodies ached and they
hearts held nothing but hatred. They fought endlessly, but death never
came. They despaired, stuck in the eternal quagmire".
Meaning: According to beliefs of the cult, for a long time ago there was not
any human world, how we understand this word. There were only immortal
people who hadn't anything except hatred and darkness in their hearts...
Not even people, probably only incorporeal souls (they did not have
physical body and there was no death), forever closed in infinite vacuum,
absolute Emptiness. During the eternity, these "people" filled with hatred
were at war among themselves caused a pain to everybody - and could not
escape from this never-ending vicious circle of aggression and sufferings
as they did not know about death. Anyhow, everyone is the enemy of
everyone, - and a choice of human's soul was to make the violence over
colleagues. And the other people make, they do not have Hope, there is no
overall goal, they would like to reach - people would like only to be
pleased, even using the most severe methods and, thus, all of them are
stuck in a bog of despair.
1-2. Birth
The text: "A man offered a serpent to the Sun and prayed for salvation, a
woman offered a reed to the Sun and asked for joy. Feeling pity for the
sadness that had overrun the earth, God was born from this two people".
Meaning: Once there are two persons appeared among all the madness in world
around (the man and the woman - by analogy with "Adam" and "Eve") who have
seen the Observing Eye in the sky - the Sun. And the hope and compassion
arises in their souls. "Adam" and "Eve" believed in the power of the Sun
(as there wasn't anything they can trust) and, wishing to release other
people from the suffering of infinite existence, they asked the Sun by
means of ritual to help them. These people have presented a victim to the
Sun: the man, praying for rescue, has presented the Snake to the Sun, and
the woman, asking the Sun for pleasure, has presented the Reed (probably,
this mythical "ritual" metaphorically describes the process of conception
of the child-god by two people? For example, in culture of some South
American Indian people tribes there were similar ceremonies of "give the
snake and fruit to the Sun and the Sky", consisting in copulation of the
man and the woman who are taking part in this ritual and conception of the
child in glory to deities). But whence people could know for certain, that
ritual will work? They could not know, - people have simply believed all
soul... And the human's belief possesses wonder-working force. And as a
result of these mystical rituals the miracle happened - the God has been
given birth from "Adam" and "Eve".
Pay attention to an interesting formulation " Feeling pity for the
sadness, that had overrun the earth, God was born from this two people ",
hinting that the God was because he felt humans' pity and sadness - thus
we can tell, that cult trusted, that the God can be given birth only if he
will feel humans' sadness, will feel, that this world requires him - here
we can find obvious connection with ideas of the power\energy of the
feelings.
Probably, you have already felt that this part of a myth is penetrated
with bible motives of Adam and Eve. It would be desirable to pay your
attention to the basic distinction - as against the Christian doctrine, in
doctrines of a cult it's known that the God hasn't created people (their
immortal souls), but people have given birth to the God. Have given birth
by their suffering and belief in rescue... Rather symbolically, "the Bible
on the contrary".
1-3. Salvation
The text: "God made time and divided it into day and night. God outlined
the road to salvation and gave people joy and God took endless time away
from the people".
Meaning: So, the God has come to the Earth - but he/she is not so
that God that grants "democracy" and freedom. On the contrary, he has
created the new world full of various laws and rigid restrictions (I'll
remind lines from SH4 of the world created from human ideas and feelings
through ritual: "But his universe is different than ours - it has limits.
And in the limits of that universe, he rules as a king") - but people were
happy to be with these restrictions bringing the Order in their existence.
Let's consider the sense of all changes of the world brought by the God:
a) The god has taken away eternal time and immortality from people.
When the God has created the new world, each of immortal souls has been
allocated a "physical" body in this new world - but the life of this body
has been limited, let's consider the reasons of restriction of time:
First, the person who has not limit in time starts to ignore time and
delays some things- but when the merciful God has limited time allowed to
the person, and then people began to value time - it initiated human
activity and thirst of self-development.
Second, now fear of death limited human anarchy - the "Christian" morals,
now people stopped to cause pain to each other (even because of fear to be
killed either).
Thirdly, now there was an exit for these people - they could get rid of
the sufferings by means of death at any moment.
b) Divine Time has been created and divided per day and night.
Immortal people did not need to know time because they did not depend on
it in any way. But now, when people have realized fragility of the stay in
this world, time began to play a huge role in their world.
As we understand, dream was not required for immortal people - they could
not see any dreams. But having created Day and Night, the God gave to the
suffering people an ability to enjoy not only the real world, but also
dreams (where people could realize any dreams, not causing any harm to
each other), thus as though having drawn a distinction between a reality
and illusion.
ñ) About to road to Paradise and pleasure. The god has given people Hope.
Now their life has got sense and also people had an overall target uniting
their efforts - now the individual purposes have given up the place of the
common - and people have stopped to be at war among them - humans' pain
began to cease, giving the place to happiness.
1-4. Creation
The text: "God created beings to lead people to obedience to Her. The red
god - Xuchilbara; the yellow god - Lobsel Vith; many gods and angels.
Finally, God set out to create Paradise, where people would be happy just
by being there ".
Meaning: the God by means of his force has created a lot of wonderful
creatures - gods and angels who actually supervised over undertakings of
people and, probably, were something like examples for imitation for
humans (for example, Valtiel, we'll talk about him later). Also it is
possible to assume, that gods were responsible for functions of change of
day and night, death of people, etc. - but it is not so important. Gods'
colors are rather interesting (I think, Walter Sullivan, known by SH2 saw
something suspiciously reminding Xuchilbara). Look at the right side of a
picture. What we can see here? A red Pyramid... Now, make some conclusions
of red god's shape, named Xuchilbara.
By the way, if people should admire to the gods, and there were a plenty
of gods (and they were a bit different) - that quite probably, that people
could not admire to every god. It means that there could be groups of
admirers (see. SECTS) of Xuchilbara, Lobsel Vith, etc. - everyone was
admired to the favourite one - could it lead to the disagreements between
believing people?
Other originality of the above-stated part of a myth consists that the
mythical God is mentioned in a feminine gender... In SH1 the God was
mentioned exclusively in a masculine gender ("HE has been nurtured by that
nightmare" - Dahlia Gillespie said about the summoned God in the last
meeting). Here it is necessary to mention, that, for example, many of the
Satan deities has no gender - for example, the Devil is mentioned both as
"he" and as "she" - the same happened with Silent Hill religion - and the
shape of the God periodically made various changes at numerous editing
religion of Silent Hill and some imported elements of other religions. In
any case, for me "God" is more habitually ("SHE" or "Goddess" sounds
somehow clumsily) - and farther I'll name him like this so persistently.
And to you, my dear reader - is NECESSARY to reconcile to my habits. :)
Comments to shape of the God from a myth: In the picture we can see God's
shape - is white, long-haired woman in a red dress. Because of such
strange clothes, we can think, that the long bright red dress symbolizes
blood (reminds a bloody trace, flowing for the God), or fire (as we can
see the God in this dress, it seems like She is grasped by a bright
flame). As we can understand, the shape of a deity esteemed in the
religious organization repeatedly changed, since times of this myth.
1-5. Promise
The text: "But there God's strength ran out and She collapsed. The entire
world's people grieved for this unfortunate event. Yet God breathed Her
last, She returned to the dust, promising to come again".
Meaning: Soon after creation of the world and some wonderful creatures,
God's powers have run low, and She has suddenly died, and she had no time
to complete the "Paradise". Certainly, all people regretted for that event
(at least as the myth says) - but even the best doctors (even who had the
"wonder-working hands"), could not make anything to help the dying God.
Before her death she has promised, that she will return and will complete
the Paradise (under the doctrine of belief of a cult it turns out, that
our world is the unfinished Paradise from the first Coming).
Why the God has died? I'll answer: according to religion, the God should
come to people the heaviest minutes when their PAIN is great. And when the
purpose and Hope has appeared, people have felt happiness again - and the
pain began to pass, and the powers have left the God. In a myth the reason
of death of the God is unrevealed - but, we also can think, that something
happened with those who "has created" this God from the power of their
thoughts\feelings.
1-6. Faith
The text: "So God has not been lost. We must offer our prayers and not
forget our faith. We wait in hope for the day, when the path to Paradise
will be opened".
Meaning: And even after death of the God people have not lost hope for
coming of Paradise. They have based a cult which task was to approach the
Second Coming. Believers continued to pray and wait for the time when
gates of Paradise will be opened again...
Pay attention to an illustration of a myth - there we can see two members
of the religious organization (the man and the woman - as we'll find out
later, they were called Nicolas and Jennifer), praying at "a maternity
hole" (which we can see in a cellar of church in SH3) together with the
girl in a white cassock (holy Alessa? - but we'll return to this question
further) - REMEMBER this picture - later you will understand, why do I pay
your precious attention to this picture.
1-7. Morals of a myth
Any religious myth contains a deep sense inside. What the morals will
contain a cult's myth? Let's take a look at the events of a myth: if
people do not have belief and hope in hearts they will be doomed for
mutual hatred and eternal suffering. But the belief in human's souls can
make a miracle, change the world to the better side, give happiness - and
if the hope and belief of approaching of Paradise in the hearts of people
this best world will come eventually. As we can understand, that force of
the human's belief can change a life to the better side (to give birth to
the God and to create Paradise), there is nothing reprehensible. But in
practice light ideals are frequently deformed up to unrecognizable - it is
necessary to remember as the doctrine of a cult became so perverted
because of importing some elements of sadism and devil's followers...
Light doctrines at their practical realization as it is usual, have turned
into a bloody nightmare...
1-8. Date of the first Coming described in a myth
As we can understand, this myth represents an artful design of real events
and fiction. Let's try to separate the truth from a lie, to find out the
true essence of the events described in a myth and, probably, even to
define the date of these events in a myth.
For the beginning it would be desirable, that you have remembered a bell
tower in the cult's church in SH3 where the portraits of three basic
sacred religious organizations "the Order" were held (from left to right):
Saint Jennifer, the Mother of god - holy Alessa with the child on her
hands and the divine doctor Saint Nicolas. Especially pay attention on
Saint Jennifer. "Unwavering faith under death's blade" - says an
inscription in a picture, remember it.
Further it is meaningful to remember clearly the statues in Rosewater Park
- according to Lost Memories, these statues were in park after the civil
war in the USA 1861-1865. And there is a monument for Jenni *** Carroll
(Jennifer, Jennifer!!), who was a victim (victim of persecution by t
********* ans) and an inscription - "that here has taken place should be
never forgotten". So what is t ********* ans? If you will open the text
files of the game, you will see, that it actually means "the christians",
- then everything became clearly (we'll remember a picture of Saint
Jennifer - "Unwavering faith under death's blade") and the picture of
these events which have occurred in those far times becomes clearly: local
christians, having found out, that Jennifer consists in the occult
organization have simply killed her near to the Toluca lake (therefore
rosewater - because of blood) for religious beliefs of this girl (but even
before death Jennifer's faith was unwavering). We know that Saint Jennifer
has been killed after the civil war of 1861-1865 and approximately at the
same time her monument has been built. So, Jennifer lived with Saint
Nicolas for some time (that the picture of a myth ¹6 confirms, where both
are represented together. And also LM: "The three saints were probably
established fairly recently, sometime after the Civil War" - and so
Jennifer and Nicolas has been attributed the Saint status after 1865), and
St. Nicolas as we know looking on a picture, was a doctor of God
("Miraculous hands, a doctor of God" - a doctor was treating God). And now
we'll look on logic chain: " Saint Jennifer has been killed during the
middle of 19-th century-> Saint Jennifer and Nicolas lived approximately
at the same time -> Saint Nicolas was a doctor of God and consequently
lived during the first Coming-> So, the first Coming described in a myth
has come to pass approximately in the middle of 19-th century, during
Civil War in USA ". And so, the God has been given birth between 1861 and
1865 - and, most likely, died fast enough.
By the way, this is the first Birth according to cult myths only... maybe
it is not the first time? It is known, that in the beginning of 17-th
century Indians did something too... But, since this is the earliest Birth
known in a cult and described in a myth, it means, the god "has been given
birth" at this time, "the Order" cult was worshipping to.
1-9. Factological analysis of mythology
The analysis of the facts from a myth will help to find out the truth
about events of the middle of 19-th century metaphorically described in a
myth.
According to the myth, before the first Birth people were at war among
themselves - there is one more confirmation, that all events occurred
during civil war (origin), which means that misunderstanding with
immortality of people - is mythological fiction. Somehow it has turned
out, that two people (birth), were able to summon the God on our guilty
Earth by means of religious practices. In a myth, each of them has
sacrificed something to the Sun can be interpreted as a metaphor
symbolizing process of conception of a saint child, or that "Adam" and
"Eve" have brought THEMSELVES (or someone else) as a victim to the Sun for
the sake of a birth of the long-awaited deity.
So, further Salvation follows - it turns out, that the newborn God
appeared to the citizens at once, but also mysterious changes have started
to occur to the world around.
Creation - some strange events began to occur in the city, inhabitants
have started to see the strange creatures similar to angels and ancient
Indian gods Xuchilbara and Lobsel Vith... One of these creatures had a red
pyramid on his head... In the middle of these mystical events there was
the mysterious creature reminding the woman in long red attire, and
witnesses of that "miracle" have named it God.
Promise - here God has suddenly died (probably it happened in 1865 - the
general happiness in the myth most likely symbolizes the ending of civil
war, and so God has been given birth in 1865 and something happened to
him, that has prevented an coming of Paradise).
Faith - those who wanted continuation of construction of Paradise have
created a cult for these purposes (the cult has appeared after the civil
war as it was confirmed in LM). Founders of the cult were Jennifer,
Nicolas and... the girl in white attire. No, it wasn't Alessa - it was the
other tortured girl whom the cult wanted to sacrifice for the Second
Coming.
Soon the most devoted religious fanatics (Jennifer, Nicolas, maybe someone
else) have been attributed to a saint rank ("The three saints were
probably established fairly recently, sometime after the Civil War"),
other people should accept them as ideal and aspire to be similar to them,
to become closer to the God.
2. THE GOD
In religion of Silent Hill the special place occupies an image of the God
- creature who being born from a womb of Holy Mother brings absolutely new
world with its own rules and strange creatures. But, in spite of the fact
that the role of the God usually remains constant, his image often changes
with change of SH religion - this religion's editing was found, for
example, in the book "Silent Hill God Ethymology". God had an image of the
long-haired woman in red attire, and also the demon with horns and wings,
sometimes the suffering dark-haired woman, suspiciously reminding the girl
who has burned down once at a fire in SH...
2-1. The true name of God
It is necessary to understand that the names of God will allow avoid mess
further.
Taking into account philosophical ideas of SH, we can understand that God
is subjective, he can be both the God, and the Devil - depending on our
will. ("God? Are you sure you do not mean Devil? "- "Whichever you like")
But this subjectivity also was reflected in SH religion - everyone
represented God as it likes more, everyone aspired to attribute to God any
other properties, other names - for these reasons the religion was
repeatedly edited, and an image, a name and essence of a deity constantly
changed.
SH God has a lot of names, everyone names him as wants, - let's list all
God's names:
à) Lord of Serpents and Reeds (further - simply "Lord") - the name is
based on a myth about the Birth, where "Adam" and "Eve" sacrifice the
Serpent and the Reed to give birth to the God. The fact, that the name
"Lord" is mentioned even in the texts written in Old English language (for
example, Crimson Tome where alongside with a name "Lord" out-of-date
English words like "thou" are actively used) testifies that "Lord" is one
of the oldest designations of the God. It is necessary to note, that Lord
also "Christ" in Christianity but, certainly it doesn't means the
traditional "Jesus Christ" in SH religion.
b) Creator of Paradise - According to the book: "Silent Hill God
Ethymology", the God also was called as "the Founder of Paradise" in a
cult. This similar name is closely connected to the Creation myth.
c) She - it is difficult to name it. It is known, that up to heading the
cult by Claudia Wolf, her predecessors attributed a male gender to the
God. We can think that the God has changed in a feminine gender after the
ordering of the doctrines which have been lead by Vincent and Claudia.
This change of gender is connected to Claudia's vision of God and her
quivering relation to her elder "sister" - Alessa. Also in the book from
SH3 we can see, that Claudia so idealized the sister that has attributed
appearance of Alessa to a religious deity (see Silent Hill God Ethymology,
About Syncretic Religions)
d) God - definition of a deity.
e) Incubus - the mythical demon coming to women during dream; "a demon of
dreams". This name is traced on a mystical symbol of a cult "Halo of the
Sun", and also Alessa's god is mentioned with this name in LM.
f) Sammael (in Silent Hill Dead\Alive he is mentioned as "Sammael") - to
the God, in whom Dahlia trusted, mach people attributed a name of a demon.
g) Hades - on a t-shirt of Jasper Gain we can see the image of Alessa's
god with an inscription "HADES". In Greek mythology Hades is the master of
the underworld, the sun will never penetrate into his world...This place
is full of ghosts and monsters, and the Cerberus as the keeper... It is
not surprising, that to Alessa's god (which should bring death to all
people) people have attributed a name of the master of the underworld.
It's unknown WHO has renamed the God again - also its unknown WHO has
guessed to release t-shirts with his image... Probably, someone of Jasper
Gain's devil followers... Maybe there are all the intrigues of Konami???
h) Succubus - so, Incubus already was - now Succubus (actually, it is a
female variant of incubus)... On "Succubus Card" in SH4 we can see the
real imago of Alessa's God - probably, Walter thought, that his name is
"Succubus"... Would you think that it is time to stop changing names of
this deity!?
i) Devil - is the name of the God who has been given birth by the human
through rituals 21 Sacraments and Holy Assumption in the book "Crimson
Tome".
It is necessary to note the Holy Mother - in spite of the fact that
cultists were worshipping the Holy Mother, in sacred writing concepts the
"Holy Mother" and "God" are strictly differentiated - Holy Mother it that
comprises the God and the God it that contains inside of a Holy Mother.
Also, you should not be mislead by "the Crimson One" (Dark red), mentioned
in the "Book of Crimson Ceremony" - is not that God you could think. It is
the red god Xuchilbara/Xuchilpaba (it will be explained below about
Xuchilbara).
3. OTHER DEITIES
Except the God, religious doctrines of SH include also a plenty of other
deities and angels, which will be examined now.
3-1. Holy Mother
According to belief of a cult, originally the God is in a womb of Holy
Mother (as in original "incubator"), and it's known by the myth, that God
has been given birth from people. It is easy to guess, that the person who
has believed in the God and given birth to him with the force of the
belief, can be named the Holy Mother. For example, in SH1 Alessa was as
Holy Mother (in record of the dialog in SH3 Alessa was named Holy Mother),
and the Holy Mother in SH4 was Walter Sullivan, the maniac, who has given
birth to his own world and his own God.
Cultists trusted, that the Holy Mother, who contains God, cannot die and
will be reborned unlimited amount of times ("the Mother shall be reborn"
as like Alessa's soul reborned into Cheryl) due to force of the angel -
keeper named Valtiel. She will continue her existence in Paradise (as
Alessa and Walter continued their existence in their worlds even after
their death) and will descent into our world at the same time with arrival
of Paradise and the God on our Earth ("Descent of the Holy Mother").
3-2. Valtiel
Angel from religious doctrines of a cult, for the certain reason strongly
reminding one cultist, who was especially close to the God, subsequently
ranked as a Saint... The name "Valtiel" is formed from English "valet"
("servant") with addition of a suffix "-el" - angel status. Generally,
"Valtiel" means "servant - angel", and in Lost Memories founders
characterize him as "agent of God".
Cultists thought that this deity observes of the Birth of the God. Also
Valtiel persistently follows the Saint Mother, keeps up her safety (and,
hence, the life of the God) and, according to doctrines of a cult, even
able to Revive Holy Mother if something happen with her. Actually, he is
the keeper of an eternal cycle of regeneration, guaranteeing an
opportunity of unlimited attempts to give Birth to the God (and in context
SH3 - unlimited saves ^ __ ^). Valtiel personifies affinity to the God
among the cultists, a so the executioners in Toluca prison will borrow
Valt's appearance soon, "to be closer to the God" (Valtiel partly became
the prototype of SH executioners).
Since Alessa Gillespie deeply convinced in the existence of this angel -
his image was showed in the inner world of the girl - everytime, when
Heather dies in her world - Valtiel takes away a body of the God's Mother
to revive her in this world and to give to the God (and to the gamer at
the same time) the second chance.
Valtiel's image: the angel wears a traditional ritual uniform, and his
body is covered with burns, as if after the ritual of self-burning - even
his face would not be disassembled any more... Whether it means, that
affinity to the God is caused by self-sacrifice? Constanlty, Valtiel
twists the red gate. This gate personifies a circle of reincarnations
"Halo of the Sun" and symbolizes, that the God can be given birth
unlimited amount of times - and as much as Holy Mother wants - she will
be. On Valtiel's shoulder it is possible to notice a tattoo as the Seal of
the Metathrone. It is interesting, that the Metathrone also (as well as
Valtiel in LM) is mentioned as "agent of God" in the book "Otherworld
Laws". Some people can think, that here there is some connection...
3-3. Xuchilbara and Lobsel Vith
The Indians, which were living in territory SH worshipped to the Sun,
before colonizers arrived, but also they had two gods - the red god of
revival named Xuchilpaba (eventually his name will be deformed in
"Xuchilbara"), which had a bloody pyramid instead of his head (in
formation of a god's image the great value was given to pyramidal forms,
which had place in Indians culture), and the yellow god named Lobsel Vith,
presumably carrying yellow attire. Accordingly, also there were also two
rituals of sacrifices - a "red" ceremony of blood and a "yellow" ceremony
of burning. It is easy to guess, that these victims intended to Xuchilbara
and Lobsel Vith accordingly, and each of the gods was the original patron
of the kind of ritual.
Subsequently Indian rituals have strongly affected on the rituals of a
cult (in fact actually "Adam" è "Eve" from a myth have made INDIAN ritual
of sacrifice to the Sun to give birth to the God!), and images of the gods
of America's aboriginals had some influence on an image of Valtiel and on
a ritual attire of executioners.
Simply keep in mind it for a while, and I promise to tell about culture of
Indians, their rituals and Gods later.
Meaning of names: According to recognitions of developers in Lost Memories,
names of deities have Indian motives. "Xuchilbara" can represent a little
bit modified word "Xibalba", in language of Indians Maya designating "the
other world" or "the underworld". It is known, that Indians from this
tribe actually had rituals of bloody sacrifices, considering, that they
can open gates to "the underworld" - Xibalba. "Lobsel Vith" can be
translated from language of Indians Maya approximately as "a bad cycle of
flesh" ("Lob" - "bad", "sel" - circle\cycle and "vith" - flesh). The name
of this deity can be related to belief in regenerations.
4. CULT'S SAINTS
For the certain merits for a cult these mortals were ranked as Saint their
portraits were held in a belltower of cult church. Let's find out at last
something about Saints and their role in SH religion SH. We shall try to
reproduce a situation happened during civil war through the analysis of a
Saint more precisely.
4-1. St. Nicolas
"Miraculous hands, a doctor of God" - that's how describes his inscription
under a picture in a church belltower. It is obvious, that after the first
Coming Holy Nicolas started to be one of the main confidants of God, and
he also was one of the founders of the religious cult "the Order". Now
let's examine a picture (ATTENTION! It is extremely desirable that you
have started SH3, have carefully examined pictures once again in a church
belltower - and AFTER THAT have continued reading).
The skull on a table - from immemorial time the skull was a symbol of
doctors (that's also mean, that Nicolas worked not as the doctor in
traditional meaning of this word, he was pathologist). It is necessary to
note, that the image of human parts on a table of *holy* creates not
pleasant impression about this "holy". YELLOW outfit on the doctor -
whether can symbolize it, that Nicolas was one of the followers of the
YELLOW god - Lobsel Vith?
Let's examine the next picture... At the Nicolas's table we can see
"doctor's" clothes (it's more similar to the pathologist clothes, not the
normal doctor) - and here is the most interesting thing - familiar
clothes, is not that so? Such outfit Valtiel carried in SH3, and also
executioners in Silent Hill Prison wears this outfit, when they are making
ritual executions... But when Nicolas could be the doctor of God (in
1865), there were no ritual executions in prison Toluca yet, also there
was no cult and Valtiel too (since there was no cult).
This implies, that Valtiel got his surgical coat from St. Nicolas (Nicolas
became a prototype of a cult angel), and to the prison executioners - from
Valtiel. But it is quite possible, that this "doctor's" surgical coat was
something like the traditional ritual dress of Indians borrowed by Nicolas.
Look over here:
- St... Nicolas and Valt were examples for human imitation in the cult
- They carried identical doctor's surgical coats.
- Nicolas - God's doctor, and Valtiel is responsible for the Mother&God
safety, revives them, does not allow them to die (makes "reanimation"),
and also observed the "birth".
- Also Valtiel and St. Nicolas are similar externally...
Members of a cult have created the angel most approached to the God, with
an image of their "doctor of God ".
Now it is meaningful to remember Valtiel's shape- as you could notice, the
angel looks rather scorched; his body is covered with terrible burns. If
St. Nicolas was the real prototype of Valtiel, most likely that Valt's
burns appeared because Nicolas has ended his life with a ritual of
self-burning. We can think, that Nicolas, being the religious fanatic, has
decided to prove his "affinity to God" and has committed suicide, made
ritual of self-burning, such honorable ritual in the cult. But Nicolas's
destiny and appearance were reflected in shape of an angel of the cult.
Subsequently Alessa finds out something about the angel of a cult (or
about St. Nicolas, his picture with image in church), - and his image will
be quite impressive to Alessa, then he be reflected in the inner world of
the girl and will follow the Mother of God.
4-2. St. Jennifer (also known as Jennifer Carroll)
(For details look Part 4, chapter 2-15)
She started to be one of the confidants of God (because she was at the
Birth of God or helped him). That's why she has been in the category of
saint (alongside with Nicolas). After the death of God, Jennifer has based
a cult (according to the myth, together with Nicolas and the woman in
white attire). Then recruiting of christians have begun - and Jennifer
Carroll has fallen one of the victims of this recruiting - according to a
monument in park, she has been killed by Christians near to lake, but even
before the person of death its(her) belief in the God was unshakable.
Jennifer was killed by Christians, and the corpse of the girl has been
dumped in Toluca lake - it is explains the ominous name of park
("Rosewater" - because of blood).
4-3. Holy Alessa (also known as Alessa Gillespie)
(For details look Part 4, chapter 1)
This martyress has been burnt by mother for summoning of God (Dahlia
thought that her daughter is only "incubator" for cultivation of the
deity) - but because of intrigues such "faithless" as Harry Mason, God was
not born properly.
Look at the picture - Alessa holds the child in her hands which is also
Alessa is symbolizes a spiral of reincarnations of the God's Mother
essence. Alessa cannot die - and the God within her also cannot death and
so He can be given birth infinite amount of times. Initially Alessa it has
not been ranked as a Holy - Claudia did it, for her beloved "sister"
(Claudia and Alessa were not biological sisters, it becomes clear because
of congratulation card in Claudia's room in SH3: "To little Claudia. Happy
6th Birthday. I love you as if you were my real sister" - therefore I
write a word "sister" so-called), having made revision and editing of SH
religion for some time before events of SH3.
4-4. St. Stephen
Generally the information on this saint is available only as text files of
SH3 ripped from a disk (or this file is hidden very carefully in the
game), so you may not think about it. "St. Stephen: The Sage Who Spent His
Life Restoring Scripture" - proudly the text file says and we can make a
logical conclusion , that St. Stephen has been ranked as a saint, because
he spent all his life for restoration of the Scriptus of a cult.
5. Pyramid Head and connection of prison executioners' image with religion
of city
As we understand, in SH2 context PH personifies James's sado-masochism,
his desire to punish himself for his sins, poured too much and makes hurt
not only for James, but also people surrounding him (Maria, dummies,
etc.). So James is the executioner of himself (and not only himself?). But
why James's destructive part is expressed in so exotic way?
It is easy to guess, that during stay in SH 3 years prior to SH2 events
James has visited Silent Hill Historical Society (SHHS) - and has seen a
picture with the image of the executioner and his victims under the name
"Misty day, remains of the judgement" - it has made indelible impression
on the clerk, and this image of the executioner left in James's
subconscious.
We know that the image of this executioner with a spear and a red steel
pyramid on his head is drawn on the picture in SHHS, so image of PH is
connected to the history of Silent Hill. "Originally, the pyramid head
outfit was the guise of Silent Hill's executioners" - told us Lost
Memories.
But let's find out, did really prototypes of PH dressed such outfit, as
drawn on the picture with an executer, or they have been dressed kind
different. Basically, the cult has been created after 1865, and I doubt,
that they used so impractical methods + it difficult to execute somebody
with this pyramid, completely closing the view - how would this executer
look like? It would be ridiculous. That means that rally executioners
could not have this heavy pyramid on a head. But how these executioners
really looked like?
To answer this question, it is necessary to remember the picture "White
and Crimson Banquet for Gods" in Toluca prison - look closely at the
executioners in a picture - white attires (hmm... we've seen them
somewhere before...) and with a red triangular loose overalls on their
heads (yeah - yeah, loose overalls, instead of steel pyramids) with
opening for eyes (that means that executioners can see everything
perfectly) as a cross (it is result of influence of Christian religion on
SH religion). Here, from this picture we have represented a real image of
these executioners. But, as we can see from the picture, pyramidal
executioners had unusual execution, but severe ritual of sacrifice to God
- so they are connected not only to the history of city, but also the dark
religious organization working in Silent Hill.
Now, when we have examined the true image of real executioners and their
connection with a cult, it would be desirable to pay your attention to
some features of image of PH - his body similar to Valtiel's (Valtiel was
an ideal, believers should aspire) - PH wears similar attire as Nicolas.
But PH copies Valtiel (Nicolas) not completely - on PH's head is red (red!
red!) pyramid (real prototypes of the executioner had RED loose overall),
completing that absurd image of the executioner. Why PH is similar to
Valtiel (Nicolas) - it is understandable, but there's a question, what's
the deal with a red pyramid? We know, that Indians had red deity by name
Xuchilpaba\Xuchilbara, wearing a red pyramid (look at the pictures of the
myth), and we know, that the religion of aboriginals of America has
strongly affected religion of SH. It is easy to guess, that during
creating the outfit for the executers, the cult has decided to combine the
images of Valtiel (the standard of affinity to God) and Xuchilbara (the
patron of bloody ritual of summoning the God) with the purpose of giving
an image of the believer to executioners, aspiring to God through bloody
sacrifice (as sets of both ideals of affinity to God) to synthesize these
images with the purpose of creating a new one, absolute example, ideal
saint. And an image of the real executioner the artist drawn on his
picture, embodied some mythical features (so this steel pyramid on the
head of executioner - is fiction, created by the artist)
Also everything compares on chronology: Toluca Prison was designed as camp
for war prisoners in 1862 and has been reconstructed in 1866 - and as we
know (look Part 2, Chapter 1), the cult began its activity after the first
Birth approximately in 1865. Everything compares - in 1866 Toluca prison
opens and the new clothes for executioners are added, which (remember the
influence of this cult to city) was a symbol of reverence of these saints,
and also a metaphor, meaning "Divine Court to the sinner".
Generally, it turns out, that PH has inherited his attire from
Valtiel\Nicolas, and his *head* (actually not thus pyramid, but a red
loose overall) from ancient Indian deity Xuchilbara.
6. THE ORDER
For a long time the mysterious religious cult which the townspeople call
simply "the Order" operates in the city. This cult has been based after
the ending of civil war and its main purpose to revive God and construct
the "Paradise" on the Earth. But religious beliefs of this organization,
and also its role in the city life constantly changed - let's look after
these changes and find out more information about this cult.
6-1. History of the Cult (19-th century - the middle of 20-th century)
The history of the religious organization can be counted from the middle
of XIX century when believers attempted to summon God. In those days the
doctrine of the cult was a mix of Christian doctrines and traditional
beliefs of the Indians, who lived on the territory of Silent Hill (with
cruel ceremonies inherited by them).
But the birth of the cult after the conflict, which has been created after
*political* opposition, has not made anything good and the society of
Silent Hill splitted in two because of *religious* oppositions of the cult
and Christian church. Jennifer Carroll was one of the victims of this
opposition...
Was this cult legal during those period or the government had struggled
with it? The monument of Jennifer Carroll in Rosewater Park explains this
situation - when "the Order" has been formed - Christians of Silent Hill
were angry when a lot of people were after this new religion - and they
tried to punish the leaders of the cult. But, the government was against
this idea - and even (nonsense!) has established the monument in Rosewater
Park to the member of the occult organization! Even when the burning of
witches still were everywhere (for example, in Massachusetts located not
so far from SH). As we can see, the Christianity of SH was serious damaged
by this cult in 19-th century. It is probable, that the city government
included some of the followers of the cult (most likely), or the
government was sold to this cult (that is also possible).
Eventually, the cult gathers huge power, and its religious traditions
start to have serious influence to the life of the city and, particularly,
on the kind of executions in local prison and a uniform of executioners.
The religious organization was the owner of the shelters: Hope House\Wish
House (the official owner was charitable organization Silent Hill Smile
Support Society which was under control of the cult) which subsequently
will be used for *washing brains* to orphans and recruiting them into
cult's religion.
Nevertheless, during the subsequent period cult starts to separate to
sects (see the chapter of "sects") and as a result loses its former
authority, and then changing into the underground organization of the
Satanists - drug-dealers, periodically kidnapped young girls with purpose
to give birth to God, and also secretly imparting to orphans their dark
religious beliefs. According to comments of game authors in SH1OGFAQ,
periodically members of a cult tried to make rituals to summon God, but
for some reasons these rituals failed. Such turn of failures proceeded
till coming of the fanatical woman named Dahlia Gillespie to the religious
organization, which starts to propagandize worship Demons and ideas of
destruction of everything for clearing of suffering...
6-2. Development of "the Order"
à) SH1:
To learn more about financial position of the cult at the moment of SH1
events, it'll be enough to remember the underground church of the cult -
it is located in a cellar (more precisely, even in the sewers) of the
small shop in the business district named Green Lion ("The other church in
this town" - Dahlia describes this scrap land). It obviously means
shortage of budget in this organization. Now let's compare it to the
Christian church in SH (Balkan Church) - there's everything beautiful:
glamour, shiny, beauty... Amount of benches means quantity of Christians
in the city, and interior - about budget of the Christians. We can
understand, that during SH1 events the cult was not out the law, but also
was not on a pique of popularity and especially was not the registered
religion - since 19-th century cult's position were weak. Probably, all of
the cult's problems were in shortage of believers? (Most likely, it is
connected with domination of satanic tendencies at that moment in the cult)
Not enough believers = not enough money = impossible to buy up the
government...
Though, the cult tried to compensate shortage of donations by the union
with especially talented doctors and free sale of their product - PTV.
*Maybe* the government and police received their percents from its sale,
so everyone were pleased (except for dissatisfied with presence of the
religious competition of Christians), and the city became rot from within.
However, Dahlia worried not about finances of the cult - the woman was
fanatically devoted to the ideas of summoning God-demon and even has
offered her daughter for the sake of this illusive purpose. And her works
were not useless...
b) 17 years between events of SH1 and SH3:
17 years prior to events SH3 was lost (was killed by Caufmann - traitor)
the manager of CULTural affairs of Silent Hill and also - last expert in
occult - Dahlia Gillespie. The cult was actually decapitated, for some
years after death of Dahlia "the Order" was confusion, but soon the cult's
high post was occupied by the friend of Dahlia Gillespie - the sadist
("The memories of his cruelty is forever burned into my mind" - Vincent
speaks about Leonard) Leonard Wolf, and he have set in the Brookhaven
because of killing the person with knife at religious dispute. The
CULTURAL aristocrat named Vincent has taken the advantage, and instead of
that sadist, Claudia Wolf became the head of this cult (Vincent only
pretended, that he shares all the beliefs of Claudia, and she trusted this
liar). Vincent had the position of Father and at the same time the Main
Accountant of the Cult - he has got desired access to a *feeding trough*,
than has even more strongly increased the capitals.
Claudia, having received authority of this cult, first of all (in peak to
her disliked father) has replaced the main rate on more liberal "We'll
rescue entire mankind, comrades!" - and for more effective change of a
rate, has engaged in reformatory activity with the purpose to humanize
(Christianize) religion and since it is impossible to read all the library
literature for acceleration of process she has invited Vincent "who is
sharing her sights" (participation in processing religion of SH gave
Vincent an opportunity to subordinate religion to his own benefit.
Certainly, so practical man could not miss such opportunity). The main
religious changes brought with Claudia are listed below:
a) Ideological opponents were removed - names of Dahlia Gillespie and
Leonard Wolf are absolutely erased from the history of cult - in the game
we can see the mentions about Dahlia only for 3 times - in the note of the
father and once for game Heather mutters in the car something about her
mother ("A woman named Dahlia, she tried to summon the ancient god of the
town. She offered up her very own daughter"). Vincent uses only fastidious
"crazy old hag" - and there's not any written mentions about Dahlia,
devoted her (and not only her) life to God, or mentions about Leonard (a
note in the madhouse were not used - the question is directly about the
cult)
b) God has changed his gender and became similar to Alessa - Claudia
always idealized her "sister" and considered that the "correct" God should
be similar to her beloved "sister".
c) The religious myth is edited - the God brings the Rescue to people,
besides the woman in a white loose overall at the end of a myth,
suspiciously reminding Alessa, probably has been added by Claudia.
d) Now Alessa (Alessa Gillespie on the picture) is ranked as Holy of the
cult and her portrait is hung alongside with portraits of such cult heroes
as St. Jennifer and St. Nicolas (which, acquiring to LM, have been ranked
as Holy in 19-th century) in a belltower of cult church.
e) It is possible to rename gods - I do not exclude, that in new religion
Valtiel and other deities had other names. In the book "About syncretic
religions" (SH3, library) there's written about assignment of new names to
the deities because of the influence of Christian religion. By the way,
now an ideal of affinity to God - Alessa (picture of Alessa with the child
hangs in the center and also it is the biggest picture and also we'
remember Claudia's dreams). So, "You want to be closer to God? Follow
after Holy Alessa, comrades!"
f) Remembering her sufferings in the childhood, Claudia after reading the
books like "Young Slaves: Child Exploitation" cancels mockeries at
children with the purpose that they will give birth to God, according to
Claudia's ideas, no one cannot give Birth to the ideal God except Alessa
(children exult, they will not be tormented, burnt, locked any more in the
Water Prison, etc.) - and "Hunting for the Mother of God" begins. Now
children can live happily and the religion becomes for them as a game (for
example, they are singing songs about God, eating sweets and draw maps of
the church with bunnies. At once occurs "She gives us candy And money to
spend Just be sure you do not get her mad" - sings in UFO-ending about
Claudia Wolf).
g) Earlier (during events of SH1) beliefs of the cult (of Dahlia and
Leonard) had more likely sadistic-satanic character, now Christian ideas
of "General Rescue" (Rescue as usual-habitual posthumous Paradise where
are no wars, illnesses, ageing, etc.) are dominating.
Now the new sense of the advanced religion most briefly can be expressed
as - "it is not necessary to suffer! Let's find Alessa, torture her and we
shall force her to give Birth to the God who will forgive our sins and
will open the Gates to Paradise!" I think Claudia had such point of view
because of Christian religion, where Jesus Christ tortured for entire
humanity. But it would be desirable to note, that the external side of
religion can be changed as much as it’s necessary - but the Divine nature
will not change. Confirmations of this we can see during SH3...
Results of editing the religion with Christian style are simply
tremendous! Now the cult actively gains popularity, donations flow like
water (and self-sacrifices of fanatics too - remember the inscriptions in
the tunnel through which Heather comes into church: "I give to you
unreservedly, my body and my eternal soul") - now the cult really grows.
With such popular religion it is necessary to reckon with - religion of SH
is officially registered and even scientific books are written about her
(for example, scientific work under the bright name "Silent Hill's Ancient
Gods: A Study of Their Etymology and Evolution"). Remember Christian
Balkan Church in SH1? And so, in SH3 there's no even a single word about
it, but we can see, that the cult has got the church as good as Balkan
Church! Look at quantity of the benches, well-made (from the art point of
view) pictures of the myth, the church piano (the cult began to import
some elements of church chanting - for the greater popularity of sermons)
- figures out that there are a lot of parishioners in this church...
Because of what it is possible? Actually, Vincent explains: "... I built
it with my power - the POWER of MONEY... " However, he exaggerates a
little that its HIS force of money (the force of money which are belonging
to Vincent) - from the notes found in church in SH3, (a room with the tape
recorder believers' complaints: " I've also heard rumors that Father
Vincent has been extorting donations from some followers ") it becomes
clear, that Vincent used not his own money, but gathering from
parishioners (most likely, he did not want to speak about these gathering
with idealistically adjusted Claudia).
6-3. Collapse of Claudia's ideals, new chapter in the history of the cult
For some years after SH3:
What happened with the cult after events of SH3? The letter of Joseph
Schreiber gives us the answer to this question (If Henry has driven in
Ashfield Heights Apartment half-year later after disappearance of
Schreiber, *maybe* it was written approximately in 7 years after events of
SH3):
"April 8
Although the cult itself is gone, I'm sure the spirit of it is still alive"
So we can see that after death of Leonard, Claudia, Vincent and other
followers of their religion, the cult of the Silent Hill is ruined again,
and the entire city, according to SHDI, already deserted for long time.
But ideas of the cult have already surpassed the limits of Silent Hill and
they are continued their life in the heads of people. The cult already
destroyed, but there were its followers (perhaps, they will revive the
cult subsequently?) On an image of the follower of "new type" of the cult
- Jasper Gein (look at his stylish T-shirt!) it is possible to think, that
when supporters of importing the Christian ideas in religion of SH
disappeared, the started to revive devil following moods of Dahlia
Gillespie...
6-4. Cult's church
In Silent Hill 3 we can visit cult's church (Claudia Wolf lived in the
small room) which is near to Lake Side Amusement Park. Nevertheless, some
contradictions in statements of characters and comments of game authors
have made a lot of gossips about this church. Let's expose this case.
During the last meeting with Claudia, Vincent approves "Home? This church
is my home. I built it with my power" - but did Vincent really constructed
this church all by himself? We can see refutations of this fact not only
during the game, but also in LM:
a) When Heather examines a stained glass in church, she remembers:
"Somehow i remember this stained glass... I used to come to this chapel
all the time when i was a little girl... But it was not actually me. It
was actually Alessa when she was a little girl" - and so this church was
and at least 24 years prior to events of SH3 - then Vincent was about 2
years old (LM: " name: Vincent age: 24~26 ")
b) LM: "... the map of the church A map that is drawn with a childlike
simplicity. Alessa, whose mother was Dahlia, must have visited this
church" Maybe Alessa spent a lot of time in this church?
c) LM: "Alessa's thoughts from her childhood linger in the church. It may
be that the younger version of Alessa who was teased and called "witch" is
wandering aimlessly about the church" - so this church it is valid more
than 24 years.
d) In Silent Hill: Among the Damned Jason and Dahlia after walking in the
Amusement Park came to this church. If Dahlia from SH comics - REALLY THAT
Dahlia, we've thought, events of SHAtD should occur not less than 31 year
prior to events of SH3 - and church should be more than 30 years old...
e) Let's remember the place where Heather fights with God in the end of
SH3: "the underground area of the church is in fact a ruin where the
town's former residents once conducted rituals" - so the church has been
constructed on a sacred place for rituals. Probably, it is more than a 100
years?
Result: earlier there (western part of SH) were held the rituals of God's
summoning, after 1865 the cult (under leadership of Jennifer and Nicolas)
- the place where rituals took place is sold (the northwest part of city -
In SH3 Vincent describes its position "The church is on the other side of
the lake. Across the lake, on the north side. If you're going you'd better
go through the amusement park. It's probably the only way in now. Go
northwest on Nathan Avenue. It's a bit far but closer than heaven") and
then the church of the cult was built there. It means that church existed
from 1865 (see illustrations to the myth - St. Jennifer and St. Nicolas
stand in a final room of church with "a maternity hole"). Vincent had
built nothing - he only took money from parishioners, made repairs of the
church, and also has given to it a magnificent kind for attraction of
potential believers.
6-5. Wish House
Wish House is a shelter located in the forest near the Silent Hill, nearby
to the place where aboriginals (Indians) worshipped the sacred stone
"Nahkeehona" and had sessions of talking with their dead ancestors.
Officially the shelter belongs to the charitable organization "Silent Hill
Smile Support Society" or "S4", but the religious sect "Holy Mother Sect"
operates here. It is known, that there were practiced some cruel methods -
orphans were forced to read the Scriptus of the cult and periodically they
were locked in the awful Tower - "Panopticon" Prison, which was settled
down in the forest near to this shelter. Walter Sullivan spent his
childhood there. Certainly, citizens heard about some of the events in
that shelter, and even Joseph Schreiber - reporter, once has published the
article in the "Concord" magazine:
Teaching Despair: “Wish House”.
“Wish House,” an orphanage on the outskirts of Silent Hill. But behind
it's false image is a place where children are kidnapped and brainwashed.
Wish House is managed by the “Silent Hill Smile Support Society,” a
charity organization sometimes called "4S." It's true that 4S is a
well-respected charity that “takes in poor children without homes and
raises them with hope.” But at it's heart, it is a heathen organization
that teaches its own warped dogma in lieu of good religious values. Mr.
Smith (temp), who lives near “Wish House,” had this to say: “Sometimes at
night I can hear their weird prayers and the sounds of [children] crying.
I went there to complain one time, but they ran me right out. Since then
it has not changed a bit. ”In fact, this reporter was refused admission
when he attempted to take photographs in the facility. What exactly do the
folks at “Wish House” have to hide? During my investigations, I was able
to discover, however, a suspicious-looking round concrete tower which
appears to be part of their facilities. Unfortunately no one was willing
to tell us what the tower was used for. But it seems unlikely that it has
anything to do with the business of raising orphans. It may in fact be a
prison, or a secret place of worship. The cult religion that operates
“Wish House” is known by the locals simply as “The Order”. It's a religion
that is deeply interwoven with Silent Hill's history. But it's
worshippers' fervent belief that they are among the elite “chosen people”
has a dark and dangerous side. I intend to continue my investigation of
“Wish House” and the cult behind it. I've always believed that “telling
the whole truth” and showing the children the true path, is our most
important duty.
Joseph Schreiber
About parity (ratio) Wish House and Hope House: actually, Schreiber has
published two similar notes about two shelters (Wish House and Hope House)
in two various magazines ("Concord" and "SH Times!") - we've found one in
the asylum of SH3, another - in SH4. We can think, that this is the same
orphanage - but he has two usable names or the shelter was renamed after
release of journalist's article (and Joseph has decided to change the name
in his article to the other one and to publish article again in the other
magazine).
Approximate arrangement of the orphanage: we can define a provisional
arrangement of "Wish House" which is near to the cemetery and a strange
factory:
- SH2 - after Silent Hill Historical Society (a southwest of the city, on
the other side of the Silent Hill Lake Side Amusement Park) James wanders
on the labyrinths and comes to the cemetery where it is possible to find
the grave of Walter Sullivan.
- SH4 - Walter Sullivan's grave is in the forest near to the Wish House.
- SH2 - After the cemetery Sunderland gets on a meat-packing factory.
- SH4 - Near to the cemetery there is a suspicious factory.
- SH2 - The meat-packing factory and the cemetery are close to the Toluca
lake, in particular, "refrigerator" of this factory is closely to the lake
(for fast delivery of meat)
- SH4 - The cemetery, forest, "factory" and the shelter are near to the
Toluca lake which it is possible to see in SH4. Walking on the "factory"
in SH4 Henry constantly complains on the terrible smell - maybe it is the
smell of rotten meat? (By the way, there are pieces of rotten meat in the
forest - Walter's memoirs of a nearby meat-packing factory?)
After examining, it is possible to define an arrangement of a shelter as
"the forest in a southwest of city ".
7. PARADISE
It is known, that the cult aspires to create "Paradise" with the help of
"God". They thought their business is blessed, and any purposes are
justified. Nevertheless, this religious organization has no united
opinions of God and the essence of the ideal world, and this has entailed
splitting of the organization into sects and numerous editing of religion.
Nowadays there are some various concepts of "Paradise" and variants of its
achievement in a SH-series.
7-1. Theoretical and practical ideas of absolute Paradise
Following the ancient stories, members of the cult considered that by
severe rituals they can clear martyrs, "God" is born, feeling their pain
and creates the absolute "Paradise" (after he "purifies the world with
fire" - destroys existing foundations to construct the new ideal world) -
but they were wrong. By these rituals cultists had increased the pain of
the victim so much, that the inner world "purified by suffering" gathered
huge force and got an opportunity to absorb people. Differently, the
"Paradise" created by the cult is not the work of God or Devil - it's the
creative of the usual person! And this world is too unreliable,
unpredictable - how can we know, what's happening in the head of the other
person, can be sure, that his inner world represents the ideal harmonious
"Paradise" full of happiness and pleasure? It cannot be foreknown anyway -
and then can be already late...
7-2. The treatise about aprioristic imperfection of the concept of Paradise
What is the essence of "Paradise"? "Place, where people would be happy
just by being there" - says the fourth part of the myth. Well then,
probably, Paradise should execute all desires of people, realize their
hopes... But how can that be achieved with mental force? Even if with
rituals the cult will be able to make that someone's inner world
("Paradise") will absorb ALL people and will become the true reality, this
wouldn't be enough to bring happiness to *all* people. The secret is in
the relativity and subjectivity of perception of such philosophical
categories as "good" and "evil". Someone counts on the ideal world without
wars, without age and death; others can find their happiness in the depths
of nightmare, the third can thirst for death, global destruction and the
Apocalypse, and the fourth maybe don't want this Paradise at all... There
are no the absolute true applied to all people, because desires and values
of humanity can be quite various. And, if someone's one ideal world
becomes "Paradise" which had influence on the other people it cannot
realize desires of *all* people...
The only reasonable exit is if this "Paradise" would consist of thousand
various inner worlds isolated from each other - in that case each person
could retire in the world that reflects his desires and requirements, as
in the shell of imaginations about the ideal world... But, first, such
kind of "Paradise" can be never achieved (that the worlds have property to
interosculation and mixing), and second, it is not yet known, will it
bring happiness to someone (in fact it has not brought happiness to Ernest
Baldwin in his lonely world of grief and a solitude). Then maybe, no one
needs this "Paradise"...?
7-3. Reflections about pain and martyrs
According to religion, "God" comes if he can hear the sufferings of people
- and he gains the force from these sufferings (mental energy grows with
feelings and, in particular, negative emotions of the person-"incubator")
- and figures out that without pain and suffering, "Paradise" cannot be
created... This feature of religion also has predetermined special
reverence of Pain in the cult, and creation of these cruel rituals.
Generally, martyrs, pain and sadism, like ripping hearts out, had special
reverence in SH religion , it is possible to make a conclusion, that
members of the religious organization thought that God is almost an
embodiment of the Pain and Suffering - but, we know, that God can reflect
any desire and feeling. Obviously, the Pain was especially esteemed since
this feeling can be CAUSED irrespective of will of "Mother of God" (or
"him" - "give birth" to the "God" and "Paradise" can the maniac - orphan)
+ it is connected to cruel Indian ceremonies.
But what to do with people which are not testing a pain and not aspiring
to cause pain to other people? They have no "God’s" forces, they are not
approaching the arrival of "Paradise". How can these people deserve the
"Rescue"? Members of the cult had no common opinion on this question -
some people wished "to rescue" everything, others considered that the most
simple way is to get rid of "unnecessary people", which are not worthy to
approach the elite Paradise...
So, the cult starts to use pain to finish the process of construction of
"Paradise" - and cult's Bible had acquired something like: " Rip out 10
hearts to show your devotion to the God ", "kill 21 persons for Coming of
Holy Mother", etc. "The Order" uses people like, for example, Alessa
Gillespie and Walter Sullivan for punishment of heretics and making pain
in the world - it is just necessary make them trust in the God and to
suffer - and this human suffering, gaining strength, will approach the
moment of Birth of God (remember, that earlier was spoken how negative
IDEAS and FEELINGS of prisoners have affected on the CITY POWER?).
7-4. Salvation of the chosen ones (the analysis of Leonard Wolf's ideas)
Leonard Wolf was the high-ranking religious fanatic convinced of his
correctness and he doesn't listened anyone. He followed traditions of
blood ceremonies(for this reason before the meeting with Wolf we should
make the bloody ritual) and trusted, that with coming of God, only "elite"
people able to see the Paradise, "who hears the Divine Voice", that
"unnecessary people" never can reach the new world (" Why must be reward
even the unbelievers? " - cultist asks). We can think, that these *elite*
ideas were caused because of Wolf's position in the religious organization
and his overestimated self-estimation.
Following his own beliefs, cultist has devoted himself to struggle against
"unnecessary people" ("the world is teeming with unnecessary people. It's
God's decision that I fight") - naturally, he considered himself quite
"elite". And to confirm the belief in own "necessary" to God, Wolf started
to protect a useless plate, proudly called "Talisman of Metathrone" and
started to kill the "heretics" with knife in religious disputes...
Further it is necessary to consider Wolf's sights at the ideal Paradise.
Leonard and Dahlia represented the "devil" side of the cult, besides Leo
was the sadist - murderer (look at his pictures - bloody tendencies are
seen here, except that cultist even beat his own daughter!). That bloody
Alessa's world would approach him, and if for the other people it would be
like a nightmare or Hell, Leonard would be pleased here. Most likely, the
cultist wanted that Dahlia has initially grown in the daughter
understanding of the ideal world ("Paradise") as hybrid of Hell with a
*meat grinder*, and understanding of God as Devil's flying goat image, and
then to use Alessa's force of "God" to appear inside this bloody world.
There he obviously could have fun...
7-5. "Everyone will be released, from pain and suffering!" (the analysis
of Dahlia Gillespie's ideas)
"It's not uncommon for people to worship the same god and still disagree…"
In spite that Leonard and Dahlia represented the "devil" side of the cult,
and "were friends" with the common interest of God's summoning, their
representations about "Paradise" were a little bit various.
And how the "Paradise" represents to Dahlia Gillespie? It was in the last
Gillespie's dialogue with Mason: "The time is neigh. Everyone will be
released, from pain and suffering. Our salvation is at hand. This is the
day of reckoning. When all our sorrows will be washed away" - it is
possible to judge, that Dahlia wished freedom, and freedom FOR EVERYOVE,
not just for "elite". But, if we'll compare it with other monologue
(during the game Dahlia speaks only obscure monologue, unknown for the
usual gamer) of Dahlia: "When it is completed, all is lost. Even in
daytime, darkness will cover the sun! Everyone will DIE!" That means, that
her "Paradise" reminds global death, eternal night, nonexistence more
likely. Gillespie considered, that life only brings suffering and wanted
to release all people from this suffering, having arranged Apocalypse of
local scales (or larger? It depends on daughter's force of suffering and
hatred).
When Dahlia started to think like this? For a moment of SH1 she was 46
years old - most likely she saw the horrors of the World War II and this
suffering had huge influence on young Dahlia - after that the belief has
*taken roots* in her head, that life always brings suffering, and the
death relieves of sufferings - therefore this woman started to use black
magic, keeping hope, that she would be able to have the Apocalypse and to
release all people from shackles of suffering, shackles of existence - to
change the world, to destroy him, changing in nonexistence where is no
life any more and no suffering. And the Apocalypse is necessary for these
purposes - the world should be purified by fire... And in SH religion
Dahlia at last has found a way to realize her old dream...
For realization of these dark purposes the woman intentionally scoffed at
her daughter - Alessa, thus perverting her inner world - Alessa started to
hate the entire humanity, to wish their death - and it was reflected in
her world, Sammael was the ideal of Alessa's God - a demon bearing death
to all people. Thus, it was necessary to use the force of ideas of a
daughter-"incubator" and to make the world of Alessa the only objective
reality which will bring death to everything she sees. But Gillespie has
not realized, that being in "Paradise", the consciousness cannot die
(because of that Lisa Garland has been doomed there for eternal
sufferings) - if Dahlia's dream will realize, this Apocalypse would not
bring desired purification and would last eternally, having transformed
the world in an eternal nightmare, an eternal agony or a bloody ideal of
"Paradise" for sadists like Leonard...
7-6. "Salvation of all Mankind" (the Analysis of Claudia Wolf's ideas)
Perhaps, ideas of Claudia are more interesting than ideas of her
predecessors. Her sight at the problem of "Paradise" categorically differs
from sights of Dahlia and Leonard (sights of Claudia were strongly
affected with Christian religion), but, Leonard and Dahlia always had big
pressure on the girl
Claudia suffered a lot in the childhood because of father - sadist. She
saw "Paradise" as the world without greed, wars, hatred, age, illnesses
and sufferings ("a place with no pain. No hunger, no sickness, no old age"
- the girl describes her ideal Paradise) - such *sugar* world. But how can
be the world ideal without any negative sides? Whether can white exist
without black? Perhaps, there is no pleasure without sadness, no shadow
without light, no action without counteraction, etc. If there is no age
how to understand, what is youth; if there is no hatred how to feel love?
Excepting one, Claudia excluded another. Feels like that this is no
Paradise, but nothing. "Sounds pretty boring" (Thanks to Salin for
reflections about the negative sides of Claudia's sight of ideal Paradise).
In peak to views of the father, compassionate priestess wished such
Paradise for ALL people (however, in altruistic *intoxication* she has
forgotten to ask other people - subject of happiness, would they like such
model of "Paradise").
The girl always idealized her elder "sister" - Alessa. She believed, that
the pain purifies the person, arises the most bright feelings in the
person ("Is it so hard to believe that sympathy could be born from pain
and suffering?" - Claudia opens her ideas in the last meeting) and
consequently the world created by Alessa, which had a lot of sufferings in
her life, should be fine, the ideal Paradise. Claudia couldn’t even
imagine, that sick mind of Alessa instead of Paradise, preferred to
disappear from the world in the darkness of a bloody nightmare ("I'd
rather go to Hell"). Claudia's idea was to use force of "the internal
God", force of Alessa's suffering, to make her (Alessa's) inner world the
only reality, to distribute its action to all people - then everyone will
start to see "Paradise" of Alessa and everyone will be happy.
Also Dahlia Gillespie had pressured on the ideas of Claudia ("She was
totally brainwashed by that crazy old hag" - Vince speaks about noxious
pressure of Dahlia). Particularly, the idea about impossibility of
happiness in the life and the idea about the global Rescue. Therefore,
Claudia as well as Dahlia considered, that the world should be cleansed
with fire ("The world must first be cleansed with fire") - but if Dahlia
trusted, that her Apocalypse will be the end of mankind, will release all
from existence, Claudia was convinced, that the death is only clearing of
shackles ("It's time for Mankind to be released from the shackles of sin
that bind them"), connecting the person (also remember "Be then released
from the bonds of the flesh and gain the Power of Heaven" - this line in
accuracy describes ideas of Claudia) - the death in a material world
enables the person to proceed in the spiritual world - "Paradise" and to
live in this world eternally.
7-7. "Mom! Let me in!" (the Analysis of Walter Sullivan's ideas)
Walter Sullivan was not the desired child, nobody wanted his birth. Even
parents have simply left the child to death in the apartment 302. But,
Walter has survived - but the life in the world of people has brought to
him not happiness, but the suffering since the child was unnecessary. In
the shelter scoffed at the orphan, locked in prison, forced to learn the
Scriptus of a cult and principles of creation of the own world and
Paradise through some bloody ritual... As though Walter wanted not to be
born, he wanted to turn time back and to return to the womb of the mother,
he wanted not to live anymore... But he could not find his true mother
and, having given in to children's errors, Sullivan has believed, that his
mother was the Apartment 302 - and to return to the womb of the Mother it
was necessary to wake the Apartment... And then Sullivan has understood -
Mother does not want to wake up in the world of people, where the pain and
suffering reigns and to wake the Apartment, Walter should purify her of
the world of people ("21 Sacraments were the only way to purify Her") to
create for her the new world through cruel ritual of a universe under the
name of 21 Sacraments. Thus, the main dream of his life has been closely
connected to doctrines of the cult and could not be realized without
execution of 21 Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother... And, to
give birth to beloved Mother and to wake her in the best world, to find a
desired pacification in the Womb and to plunge into eternal dream, Walter
Sullivan is ready to end his life, but also to sacrifice to the Apartment
twenty other lives...
8. SECTS
The cult was divided into sects, each has its own image of God and found
the ways of aspiration to Him (or to Her) - this idea has completely
proved in SH4 (and also in Victims List). Well, let's look closer on these
sects. Most likely, there are 3 primary sects (names of the sects are
specified only in Victims List from Konami - there's no names in the
game), and also recently created the sect of Valtiel.
8-1. Saint Ladies sect (for some time "important Lady" headed it)
Remember, how the mysterious voice in the phone asks fatal question to
Heather (Sheryl, Alessa): "Which do you prefer? To give pain or to receive
it?" These sects divided by this principle.
Saint Ladies sect initially was a part of "the Order" and specialized on a
ceremony of sacrificial self-burning (therefore also yellow), the patron
was a yellow Indian deity named Lobsel Vith. The sense of the "Saint
Ladies" sect is in approaching to God through suffering and pain. That's
why Dahlia Gillespie has a high post in this sect - she knows how to
accustom to "Pains for the sake of the Prime target"... "Most likely her
mother is abusing her. I've never seen her come in without some sort of
scrape or bruise. Her expression is pitifully dark for a 6 year old" -
we've found confirmation to this in the notes of Alessa's teacher. But
Alessa Gillespie wasn't the unique victim of religious errors - according
to comments of game authors, sectarians also often kidnapped girls to make
them "incubators" for the God through cruel ceremonies.
Here the special role was given to fire and martyrs - "and the martyrs
will burn in the fires of hell" - tells Dahlia Gillespie. Following
traditions of American aboriginals, the Sun was especially esteemed in the
sect ("It may have some connection with the main deity being a sun God" -
tells us Lost Memories about the ritual of burning).
8-2. Holy Mother sect
The second sect of the cult is the "red" sect which target was the
aspiration to the God through violence ("To give pain") - make pain during
their lives. As we know from SH4, the basic ritual for God's summoning in
this sect was cruel and bloody "21 Sacraments for the Descent of Holy
Mother" (includes obligatory murders like cutting up, beating to death,
ripping hearts out, etc.) where are brightly reflected sadistic
orientation of the Holy Mother's sect. For a long time ago, the patron of
Indian blood sacrificial ritual was red god with pyramidal head named
Xuchilpaba/Xuchilbara.
It is necessary to note, that in spite of Saint Ladies (where the God is
esteemed), in "red" sect Holy Mother is especially esteemed - the
religious deity containing the God in the womb (look part 2, chapter 3-1).
Therefore, through these rituals members of sect summoned not the God
himself, but Holy Mother who will give birth to the God. We can see
three-stage system of achievement of "Paradise" in doctrines of the sect:
first the Holy Mother is summoned (reborned), then she gives birth to the
God, and after that God creates that desired Paradise (granting Rescue
"the Nations of the Sin").
In the religious doctrine of this sect Holy Mother is not the usual mortal
martyress like Alessa, but the other deity.
Also, HMs owns the shelter - Wish House in the forest in vicinities of
Silent Hill where potential "red priests" are studying(more precisely -
potential sadists - maniacs), imparting hatred to small orphans (we'll
remember a signboard in the Wish House, warning children of dangers of an
external world "The Outside is filled with dangerous things. If someone
goes Outside without an adult's permission, the Master is sad", and also
intimidations of children - "Everybody says Ashfield is a really scary
place" - were founded in the forest "diary" of Walter - children initially
were afraid of the external world) and fanatical belief in cruel ideals of
the sect. Knowing about sights and position in Leonard Wolf's cult, it is
possible to tell confidently, that he had a high post in the "red" sect
(yeah, the "Important Lady", coming to Wish House as we know from Walter's
diary, was Dahlia Gillespie, visiting her colleague Leonard Wolf), most
likely he has imparted the principles "Violence over the Prime target" to
his daughter - Claudia.
8-3. Common things in sects
In spite of the fact that "yellow" sect SLs and "red" sect HMs are
contrast each other, they have a lot of common things:
- In both sects the special attention is given to the pain (we remember,
that the pain possesses the great power). I think, it is possible to tell,
that both sects are a part of a single one.
- In the sects the aspiration to the God occurs through the person,
through autopurification.
- "Paradise" considers the world-after-death in both sects (look at their
rituals) which is necessary to aspire "through yourself" - there is
neglect to the material world and reverence of the spiritual world,
religious introvert.
Now it's clear, that both sects were based on ideas of subjectivity of the
God and subjectivity of "Paradise" - principles of the God's Summoning and
"Paradise" are always identical, and what type of "Paradise" and what type
of "God" will you summon - depends on your own sights and everyone can
summon that God in whom the person trusts (it is shown in 21 Sacraments in
SH4). And, basing on these ideas, heads of sects tried to summon that God
and that "Paradise" which were necessary to them, forced children from the
shelter to believe in him , thus pressing on their subconscious world and,
arranging it as they wish (Dahlia Gillespie did the same with Alessa).
8-4. Sect of the Lord
Also there was the other sect - sect of the Lord (certainly, it not the
Christian God, but the "Lord of Serpents and Reeds" from cult's mythology)
which representatives obviously hated their colleagues from the other
sects ("How can our Lord forgive such an abomination...?"). The Scriptus
of this sect was the ancient book "Crimson Tome", written by supporters of
the Lord's sect a long time ago (pay attention, that there are some
elements of Old English language), and criticizing ideals of Holy Mother's
sect. Let's look closer on the sources of such hostility.
Let's remember 1865 - the cult's God was born (and since that moment the
history of the cult began). And now we'll remember the religious myth: it
turns out, that many cultists trusted, that before the First Coming there
was no world (immortal people - souls doomed on eternal hopeless
existing), then was born the "Lord of Serpents and Reeds" and started to
create the world - day and night, a life and death, etc. That is cultists
trust, that reality is created by the Lord is unfinished "Paradise". And
now we'll read the ancient book of the Lord's sect named Crimson Tome:
a) "Through the Ritual of the Holy Assumption, he built a world. It exists
in a space separate from the world of our Lord. More accurately, it is
within, yet without the Lord's world" - as we know from the plot of SH4,
the result of Holy Assumption is staying in the subconscious world which
(in process of 21 Sacraments for the Descent of Holy Mother) starts to
absorb other people, gradually extend their consciousness from reality. It
is interesting, that in the book "the world of the Lord" is understood
that, we've used to call "the real world".
b) "How can our Lord forgive such an abomination...?" - the Lord's sect
does not respect the creation of the new worlds and new Gods just with
human's mind. If sectarians considered, that Lord has created reality any
attempts to escape this reality is equivalent heresies.
c) "She who is called the "Holy Mother" be not holy one whit" - the Lord's
sect does not respect the ideals of Holy Mother's sect and thought that
their deity is not the deity at all...
d) "The "Descent of the Holy Mother" is naught but the Descent of the
Devil" - in the Lord's sect considered that the creature, which is
containing the God in the womb is Devil!
e) "The "21 Sacraments" be naught but the 21 Heresies" - 21 Sacraments -
the way changing people from the holy reality in their perverted world -
is blasphemy, heresy, seduction of believers in reality and live there.
Result: the Lord's sect was formed for a long time ago (their book already
tearing apart because of its age) and resists to the ideals of "yellow"
and "red" sects, being based on a principle "not trying to summon/create
your own Gods - instead of that you will make the Devil!" Supporters of
the Lord's sect especially esteem reality (as Lord's unfinished
"Paradise") and consider, that only God (Lord) is able to construct the
ideal "Paradise" - so they are wait for the returning of Lord with the
purpose of an upgrade of "reality" up to the level of "ideal Paradise" (it
is interesting, that they have no idea if their Lord was the God, which
was born from someone's perverted subconsciousness during the First
Coming). Most likely, typical representatives of the Lord's sect were
people who haven't suffered in their life, and they were fine with this
existing world.
8-5. Religious Chaos
The cult has been created after the civil war and after a while has
splitted up to sects - originally each sect knew their applicability,
clashed among themselves on an ideological - religious basis, but then
terrible mash has began:
a) Each theorist wanted to catch a piece from religion of SH - everyone
started to tell crazy things and to import some elements from the other
religions to the religion of SH ("There is no religion that has remained
unchanged from the moment it was founded. This one is no exception. When
the religion fell into the hands of immigrants, it was deeply influenced
by their own original Christian beliefs") - there were some elements from
Christianity, occult, cabbalistic...
b) After the Scriptus of a cult has been lost, St. Stephen has spent his
life for its restoration - but, certainly restored variant was not a full
copy of the original that started to confuse the cult again.
c) The Lord's sect has written the blasphemy book Crimson Tome for the
Holy Mother's sect. It was like a declaration of the war...
d) The god has changed his name plenty of times, now no one couldn't
remember even his name, and even in the Divine field there were
disagreements...
e) Cultists, waiting for authority seriously started to create their own
sects, trying to catch a piece of the cult and to create their variant of
religion - result was Valtiel's sect created by Jimmy Stone.
f) Sectarians have started to do different things - for example, Toby
Archbolt (headed "red" sect for some time, but subsequently also fallen as
a victim of the maniac) spent his time selling marihuana and seducing the
girls from the shelter.
It's clear, that disorder started with these sects, and someone should fix
it, until it's too late.
8-6. Valtiel sect
Valtiel sect is the youngest sect of the cult, it has been created by
Jimmy Stone approximately 30 years prior to events of SH4, but existed
only about 20 years. The founder of sect has a post of the Supreme priest
to supervise activity of the sect and to conduct interaction between "red"
sect, propagandizing the summon of the Holy Mother and the God through
bloody ritual "21 Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother" and
"yellow" sect, specializing on the summoning of the God through burnings
of girls. Certainly, the head of Valtiel sect had "his people" in the
other sects. Stone's right hand - priest George Rosten working in the Wish
House (belonging to the Holy mother's sect) and cultivating the ideal
priest of the "red" sect which could make a bloody ceremony. But, the head
of the Valtiel sect conducted with both sects - it's not hard to guess,
that he also had the "left" hand working in the "Saint Ladies sect" and
cultivated the "yellow" priest which could give birth to the God through
the ritual of burning. (We don't know, who his «left hand» was, but if
we'll think better...).
Thus, Valtiel sect could manipulate the other sects easily, thus actually
it is the head of "the Order" cult. This honorable position in the cult's
hierarchy was reflected in the fact that Valtiel sect began to be as the
sect, which is closest to the God. Its purpose was worship Valtiel (an
angel, a symbol of affinity to the God) - but "worship" was expressed in
executions (actually - sacrifices. It went since Indians times),
accordingly, the duty also was assigned to the priests of Valtiel sect to
play a role of executioners. One of the elements of an image of the
executioner the red loose overall which was used since times of Indian
traditions of worship red pyramidal head god Xuchilpaba.
But approximately 10 years prior to events of SH4 Jimmy Stone and George
Rosten have fallen victims of their pupil - crazy maniac - Walter
Sullivan, who become famous of his cruel murders which has brought both
members of Valtiel sect as a victim to the Mother - apartment. It was the
terrible hit for the Valtiel sect, after that this sect has not recovered.
After Jim Stone's death influence of Valtiel sect has catastrophically
decreased, that gave the chance to Claudia and Vincent to accumulate all
authority in their hands.
8-7. The unity of sects
The century after formation, cult was confused - a lot of underground
sects, everything mixed up, sectarians cannot understand anything - real
mess. Besides the cultist Leonard Wolf is in the madhouse because of
murder.
Vincent and Claudia use this chance and become the head of the entire cult
with the motto "OK, friends, stop kidding - let’s rally toward Divine
face!" After disposal of fanatic Leonard, there was no opposition in the
cult. And for more successful unity of sects Claudia and Vincent started
to unite elements of doctrines of these sects (censuring unnecessary and
adding to this sights of Claudia at the religion of SH). And everyone will
be happy after the main Saint, an ideal of aspiration to the God, become
Holy Alessa (look pictures in Belfry).
Now the structure of the cult and its doctrine come in the order, the new
cult gains the lost popularity and influence in the city. Donations
suffice to make full repair in the church... But how long the new variant
of "the Order" will exist or everything will be lost because of pure
belief of the main priest in ideality of Holy Alessa?
9. Silent Hill religion and “White Claudia”.
9-1. What is “White Claudia”?
Despite the fact that White Claudia is only slightly mentioned in SH plot,
this plant plays an important role in it. White Claudia’s description can be
found in SH1: "WHITE CLAUDIA Perennial herb found near water. Reaches height
of 10 to 15 inches. Oblong leaves, white blossoms. Seeds contain hallucinogen.
Ancient records show it was used for religious Ceremonies. The hallucinogenic
effect was key." As we can see, this herb usually grows near the water. So,
what is situated in Silent Hill? That’s right – Toluca LAKE, so as a result
this grass grows in the town and, most likely, grows for a long time and even
is a part of some ancient rituals. Is it possible, that this herb grows only
in Silent Hill? Is it possible, that this fact is a reason of special power of
the town?
9-2. PTV, hallucinogenic nature of White Claudia.
In the beginning, White Claudia was used only for rituals, but after a while,
cult has found a way of getting profit from the narcotic nature of this grass.
Right after the fire that was set by Dahlia Gillespie (and had purpose to
summon the God) cult has concluded an alliance with Alchemilla hospital – and
a new sort of drug – PTV – appeared ("After the fire in the business district,
a drug known as "PTV" becomes prevalent in town." - Lost Memories). It was
produced from White Claudia ("Product only available in Select areas of Silent
Hill. Raw material is White Claudia." – This is written on board in the police
station.), and cult began to sell the drug to the tourists. However, the drug
was rather dangerous – inexplicable deaths began to occur. (""PTV" Dealers
still at large. Suspicious deaths continue." – This is what we can found in
SH1 in the newspaper.) Hmmm… that’s strange: as we know, process of tearing
off the real world and transition to the subconscious world is accompanied by
“suspicious deaths”. (see Part 1, 2-1 and 2-6) We also know that the drug has
appeared right after the first fire took place – and a special drug was tested
on Lisa Garland (she was working in Alchemilla then) – as a result of this
experiment she began to see Alessa’s world… Guess it’s obvious that
“hallucinogenic” properties are contained in this effect – i.e. the drug
allows a man to dive into his subconscious world (i.e. tears his consciousness
off the real world and increases his sensitivity to the psychical energy) –
and, as we know, this process can lead to death, if this subconscious world
consumes the victim. But Lisa began to see not her own world – but Alessa’s
one (this happened because psychical energy of Alessa was strong enough to
influence Lisa’s mind and to force her to see Alessa’s world – see Part 1,
3-6), which has consumed the unlucky nurse.
9-3. The full scheme of White Claudia’s dealing. White Claudia’s turnover in
the city.
First, White Claudia was collected ("Raw material is White Claudia”) near the
Toluca Lake ("Perennial herb FOUND NEAR WATER") – this was in cult’s
competence. Then, Dahlia passed the grass to Kaufmann – for the purposes of
mediation between cult and Alchemilla and also for storing the grass the
shop/warehouse “Indian Runner” was used – it is situated in north-eastern part
of Resort Area. I.e. Dahlia left the grass (or any other item that had to be
passed to Kaufmann secretly) in “Indian Runner”, and, later, Kaufmann took it
(Remember the Indian Runner’s owner’s diary: "August 20 He came by. I handed
over the package That the woman left here." – of course, Dahlia Gillespie and
Kaufmann are mentioned here). Kaufmann transferred the grass to Alchemilla ("A
plant peculiar to the region. Manufactured here? Dealer=Manufacturer?"), where
the hallucinogenic powder PTV was produced from White Claudia seeds ("Seeds
contain hallucinogen") and tested on Lisa Garland ("I try to stop it, but it
won't turn off. Need drug. Help me..." – Lisa Garland’s diary). Manufactured
drug was stored in IR (remember the packages with PTV in safe), and later it
was from the shop by Dahlia, transferred to the cult, and after that, PTV was
distributed among tourists in Resort Area by cult members ("Must be on drugs.
They sell 'em to the tourists.")
Generally, we understand, that only formal, even symbolic, conspiracy took
place – of course, in such little town as Silent Hill people know everything
about each other – and if PTV is at open sale to the tourists, only the
deaf-mute legless cripple with progressing dementia can lose the drug-dealers
=). Of course, police was, from one side, bribed by cult, and, on the other
side, it was paralyzed by fear of “suspicious deaths”, which cult was,
according to the rumors, connected with. So, town police department has just
shut eyes on the event that took place in town - "INVESTIGATION STALLED. "PTV"
Dealers still at large."
9-4. White Claudia in SH2
Guess, lots of SH fans worry about the question: “If White Claudia was so
often mentioned in SH, why there aren’t any mentions of it in SH2 and
subsequent games?” So, who said that there aren’t any? Let’s take a
look."Ancient records show it was used for religious Ceremonies. The
hallucinogenic effect was key" – this is what the plant encyclopedia tells us
about this plant. So, what SH rituals do we know? First is ceremonial burning.
Second is “21 Sacraments”, which includes special part named “Holy Assumption”
– to know more read the cult bible from SH4:"The Second Sign And God said,Offer
the Blood of the Ten Sinners and the White Oil. Be then released from the
bonds of the flesh, and gain the Power of Heaven." Where’s White Claudia
here, you might wonder. Let’s read “Book of Crimson Ceremony” (from SH2),
which describes the same ritual:"Thou shalt ever call upon me and all that is
me in the place that is silent. Oh, proud fragrance of life which flies
towards the heart. Oh Cup which brims with the whitest of wine, it is in thee
that all begins" Hmm… "White Oil", "Whitest of wine", "White Chrism" – all
these things are mentioned in ritual’s description. What is missing in this
logical chain? That’s right, you’ve finally solved the puzzle, and you can
take one more cake from the shelf (while father Vincent is away, collecting
money from parishioners) :) . Actually, White Chrism is White Claudia, or,
more precisely, not White Claudia itself, but it’s seeds (in fact they contain
hallucinogens), pounded in a powder (that’s the reason of such color –
remember PTV) and, later, combustible oil was manufactured from these seeds
(hmm… I wonder if it includes spirit or not… =) ). So, that’s it – it turns
out that White Claudia idea wasn’t forgotten right after wine party devoted to
SH1 release (this version is one that too smart SH “fans” had) – on the
contrary, this idea was stretched down to SH4 The Room, where the vessel with
White Claudia seeds oil can be observed on the table in the immured pantry,
where Walter Sullivan was conducting the “Holy Assumption” ritual.
9-5. White Claudia role in SH events. White Claudia and fog (based on Silent
Hill: Dying Inside)
In SH comic series there is a certain hint on an origin of the fog and it’s
connection with White Claudia. The main character of the first 2 issues – Troy
(he is psychiatrist) – says: "Something causing this...The mist. Not natural.
There must be chemical spill. Some psychotropic drugs causing
hallucinations.", and from SH4 we know, that "people say that when the fog
comes out, strange things happen." So, we can suppose that SH events are
connected with “strange fog”, and “fog” itself can be connected with
suspicious hallucinogen. So, what kind of hallucinogen grows in SH? White
Claudia, containing hallucinogen in it’s seeds, grows near Toluca Lake, and
the lake is, “for some reason” ;) , covered with fog – so, maybe the reason of
the fog is narcotic Claudia flowering ;) ? Heh, maybe, it is, but in the
certain degree, though, it’s not the only reason (SH3 and SH4 events take
place outside of Silent Hill).By the way, by making such hints, developers
refer to the “Fog” (written by Stephen King, just read it – and you will
definitely understand what I’m talking about), which is considered to be one
of the main inspirers of SH1.
9-6. “White Claudia” name’s meaning, flowers in SH-series.
Guess, everyone knows that “White Claudia” is a fictitious plant. But very few
people knows that plants named “black Dahlia” and “pink Heather” exist. Well,
when we know who is Dahlia, Heather and Claudia in SH-series plot, everything
is put on it’s place.
10. Rituals
10-1 The origin of SH rituals
In fact, the rituals of burning and 21 Sacraments were not created by cult
adepts. These rituals had existed a long time before the colonists came and
originally were performed by the natives of America - Indians (more precisely,
the Maya and the Aztecs), and were adopted by "the Order" (so the rituals are
older than the Cult itself), edited and modified in religious style.
10-2 "21 Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother\Holy Assumption" (FAQ)
Religious meaning: birth of one's own God through blood and violence.
Description: "The First Sign. And God said, At the time of fullness, cleanse
the world with my rage. Gather forth the White Oil, the Black Cup and the
Blood of the Ten Sinners. Prepare for the Ritual of the Holy Assumption. The
Second Sign. And God said, Offer the Blood of the Ten Sinners and the White
Oil. Be then released from the bonds of the flesh, and gain the Power of
Heaven. From the Darkness and Void, bring forth Gloom, and gird thyself with
Despair of the Giver of Wisdom. The Third Sign. And God said, Return to the
Source through sin's Temptation. Under the Watchful eye of the demon, wander
alone in the formless Chaos. Only then will the Four Atonements be in
alignment. The Last Sign. And God said, separate from the flesh too, she is who
is the Mother Reborn and he who is the Receiver of Wisdom. If this be done, by
the Mystery of the 21 Sacraments, the Mother shall be reborn and the Nation of
Sin shall be redeemed."
Explanation: so, let's examine
a)
(Q)estion: Why 21?
(A)nswer: this tradition was brought into the SH religion by some occultism
and fortune-telling lover (heh, who was that, I wonder?), the number is based
on Tarot cards numbers (from 0" to 21", card 22" is The Eye of Night",
which symbolizes the God. (Of course, this is not an Indian tradition - they
didn't know about Tarot) The meaning of the victims is connected to the
meaning of the cards - let's see:
-- Tarot card #1, "The Magician". "The Magician" usually symbolizes a
person with organizational and manipulative talents, strong personality, which
is controlling the situation. Let's compare it with Walter Sullivan's 21
Sacraments - victim 01121, Jim Stone, priest of Valtiel. Magician = priest,
organization talents = Jim organized the Sect of Valtiel. 100% match.
-- Tarot card #2, "The High Priestess". This card symbolizes faith,
intuition, etc. Let's compare it with the Victims List: Bobbie Randolph,
horrors fan, he is into occultism and believes that paranormal activity exists
- 100% match again.
-- Let's try Tarot card #4" - "The Emperor". This card symbolizes parental
care, good management, success, authority and power. Now we check - Steve
Garland, 04121. Parental care = he's Lisa Garland's father, success = he has
his own shop in Ashfield and, besides, according to the victims list
information, the police has found a scoop used for cleaning after the dog -
isn't that a symbol of good management (in house and near it)?
-- Now let's examine Tarot card #9, "The Hermit" - it symbolizes caution and
isolation from the surrounding world. It's also a symbol of defeating one's
lusts and also a symbol of will to understand the nature of every event. It
also can symbolize intention on work, intention on one's self, the
self-absorption of one's character. So, who is number 9 in Sullivan's victims
list? The old watchmaker William Gregory (quite punctual by character, and
obsessed with his work). Old = isolated from the world (old Gregory was so
withdrawn from the world that, according to the victims list, his body was
found after Sullivan's suicide - nobody noticed the disappearance of the quiet
watchmaker), obsession with work and enthusiasm in his work (watch making and
repairing) is the will to understand the nature of the events". As usually,
200% match.
-- We can also check someone else. Randomly we choose a card from the Tarot
deck - it is number 15, "The Devil" - it can symbolize degradation of
someone and death of one's soul. In some situations this card can symbolize
that someone's goals were false and it would be better to give them up before
they go down. So, who is number 15 on Sullivan's list? Joseph Schreiber,
"Despair". Let's compare: Schreiber had lost his hope, he had fallen into
despair = death of the soul and his paranoid attempts to discover the cult's
mystery had led him only to Sullivan's world. Besides, in the context of SH4
Schreiber is the "Giver of Wisdom", and who was it that gave the Wisdom to
Adam and Eve and offered to take the Forbidden Fruit from the Tree of
Knowledge? That's right - the Serpent, a.k.a. Devil.
Guess these examples were enough.
b)
Q: Why Tarot cards?
A: It's thought that Tarot cards express every side of the world (after 21st
Tarot card there are cards which symbolize paranormal events and things - such
as God, reincarnation etc., but they are mentioned only in special
literature), watch the logic: to gather all the Tarot cards (symbolizing all
the world) is to GATHER THE WHOLE WORLD - to kill definite amount of people
(who symbolize every side of the world) is to GATHER THE WORLD. So, wasn't
Walter Sullivan doing that? "Through the Ritual of the Holy Assumption, he
built a world" - Crimson Tome confirms this opinion. In the SH religion the 21
Sacraments symbolize Creation.
c)
Q: Why is number/victim 0 is missing?
A: This card ( 0", the Fool" can symbolize
recklessness/inexperience/simplicity/the power of fate over man, and in
definite situations it can symbolize death - it seems like someone from the
cult decided that these sides of life shouldn't be represented in new world
built with 21 Sacraments+ But the victim 0 probably has not been found, or
lazy Sullivan didn't do his job as it was supposed to be done?
d)
Q: Ten hearts = the blood of the ten sinners?
A: Ten hearts is the first half of the 21 Sacraments for the descent of Holy
Mother ritual, it came from Aztec rituals and originally it looked like this:
"Offering prayers, pierce a man's chest with a copper stake. Drench the altar
in the blood which spouts red from the heart, to praise and to show loyalty
unto God" (Lost Memories) - i.e. the meaning of this operation is just to show
one's loyalty unto God - in fact, there can be any number of victims - i.e.
the more the better" =). Besides, Ten hearts" isn't just pain honoring in
cult, but also is an important psychological aspect, which means there is no
way back anymore".
e)
Q: What is Holy Assumption"?
A: We can see parallel meanings here: assumption (which means taking
something) and Assumption ( taking into the Heaven. This parallel is a good
example of self-intention ideas of the SH series.
f)
Q: What is the meaning of the ritual of the Holy Assumption?
A: The Holy Assumption ritual is an intermediate point of 21 Sacraments
ritual. According to the SH religion, its meaning is: "Be released from the
bonds of the flesh, and gain the Power of Heaven". Let's watch the whole
ritual from the beginning. The prerequisites are: obsidian goblet (symbolizes
night/darkness), sinners blood (symbolizes blood - strange, yeah?), and White
Claudia seed oil (symbolizes the mist - hallucinogenic grass" White Claudia
also fuddles the mind, we can also remember "The lies and the mist are not
they but I". The believer spills the blood over the altar (despite the
discomforts, it is better to do this with the ritual Great Knife, and it is
also better if heart and the blood are fresh), then he fills the Obsidian
Goblet ("Oh Cup which brims with the whitest of wine" - this symbolizes that
darkness and fog are mixing and takes the person away from reality - see Part
1, 1-11) with White Chrism and uses the hallucinogen (how is this "using"
done, we don't know, because developers haven't left any hints on that because
of censure. I (SilentPyramid) think that the oil should be kindled and smoke
should be breathed in: "Oh, proud fragrance of life which flies towards the
heart. Oh Cup which brims with the whitest of wine" - fragrance of life" is
probably the fragrance of burning oil) - and begin to dive into his
subconscious world. Now the only thing that is left is to get rid of the
physical body - and the mind will be enclosed in this world forever. This is
the meaning of Power of Heaven".
g)
Q: Are there any connections between Reverse Will" lyrics (from SH2 OST) and
Holy Assumption ritual?
A: Let's remember the lyrics:
"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take "
Despite the fact that these lyrics originally are the pray, in SH2 and
Rebirth" ending context it is getting a different meaning, darker than it was.
The connection is obvious:
"Now I lay me down to sleep" - it stands for using the hallucinogen to get
asleep.
I pray the Lord my soul to keep," - this is for Ten hearts" ritual, which
shows loyalty of believer.
"If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take" - this means
that believer, who got rid of his body in the moment of diving into his
subconscious world, stay there forever. So, the name Lord" does not mean the
creator of reality" (this is what the Lord was understood in Lord's sect), but
mean one's own God, which man believes in, and which is represented in the
subconscious world (e.g., in yellow sect" the name Lord" was given to the
subjective God, because the followers of the sect believed that in 1865 God
was born by people - Part 2, 13-6).
h)
Q: Is there anything after the Holy Assumption or is it the end of the ritual?
A: The Holy Assumption is not the end of the ritual, after the physical body
dies, the soul exists in its own world (this happens if inner universe" had
been shaped in incubator or if incubator himself was possessed by some idea).
As it was mentioned, this world itself has some kind of energy - energy of
feelings, and, when a particular amount of this energy is gathered, other
people begin to see and feel this world, and their mind is dragged into the
world of the believer - this is a chance. If the mind of the victim stays in
the world of the believer, the world will assimilate its energy (because the
mind itself has a definite amount of energy) - as a result, more people will
start feeling this world, and more of them will be drawn into it. So, the
subconscious world can be filled with energy so much that absolutely everyone
will feel it, and this world's God will really exist.
i)
Q: What does "If this be done, by the Mystery of the 21 Sacraments, the Mother
shall be reborn and the Nation of Sin shall be redeemed" mean?
A: The Nation of Sin in the SH religion means the people who had not let the
God (i.e. the Pain) enter their souls. But it isn't a problem - everyone will
get their salvation. Remember the Cult's scriptures:
"By the Sacraments, the Holy Mother
shall appear in the countries of the world
and shall bring salvation to the sinful ones."
Of course, if the subconscious world gathers an enormous amount of energy,
EVERYONE will preceive it, even the sinners (that's why Nation of Sin will
have Salvation). This happened in Silent Hill once: "Alessa's powers runs wild
... Her agony is manifested and the entire town is swallowed up by the
otherworld". If the psychic energy can swallow the whole town (even a small
one), then it can swallow the whole world too.
Q: Why is the victim/symbol Assumption number 11121?
A: This is also connected with Tarot cards. 11 is "Strength" (***NOTE***: In
a traditional Tarot card deck 11 is "Strength". 8 is "Justice", but there
is a not so widespread Tarot of Ryder-Waite, where 8 is "Strength" and 11
is "Justice". But I (SilentPyramid) think that in the 21 Sacraments the
traditional deck is used, i.e. 11 is "Strength". What does Strength"
symbolize? This card's main idea is in understanding one's soul power and
ability to resist the worst conditions of life, and, with will and faith, with
believing that one's right, one can reach the height which no one can imagine!
And 11121 is the believer that performs the ritual, should have a strong, even
fanatical, faith in what he does - without this faith the ritual cannot
succeed.
k)
Q: What is the way of choosing the victims?
A: In fact, you may feel free not to choose them. Sullivan has learned the 21
Sacraments by heart, and he was choosing his victims so that the numbers (or
Tarot cards) were connected with the personality of the victims. I.e. "The
Magician" was associated with a priest, and so on. But this is optional and is
left for the believer to decide. For example, Alessa didn't choose anyone, but
the effect still was very strong.
l)
Q: Why are we counting people?
A: Carving the numbers on victims' bodies isn't mentioned in the cult
scriptures - then where from did Sullivan get it from? Well, there are enough
"teachers" in the Cult - Leonard Wolf, Andrew DeSalvo, Jimmy Stone, George
Rosten, Dahlia Gillespie, etc - seems like someone managed to convince
Sullivan that carving is necessary. By the way, we know that it is prohibited
to count people in the Christian religion and to give them numbers, so we can
say that Sullivan's carving is a real religious offense for Christians. But we
also need to mention that occult/satanic/anti-Christian thoughts were strong
in the Cult when Sullivan was being taught, so he took them. Of course, when
Claudia began to rule the cult, carving became forbidden (and maybe the 21
Sacraments ritual itself was forbidden for it's violence, or it was replaced
with a self-sacrificing ritual - that's Claudia's style).
m)
Q: What is the Mother Reborn"?
A: It's a symbol/victim 20121 which is considered to be the ultimate element
needed to create one's own world. Due to some well-known reasons, the
religious term "Mother Reborn" is associated with Eileen in Sullivan's mind.
There are 2 reasons for this: 1) Eileen lives next to Walter's "Mother" - Room
302. 2) In fact, Eileen was the only close person Sullivan had, so she became
a kind of "mother" to him.
Some memories and feelings of Walter are also connected to Eileen - these
feelings are represented in his subconscious world.
The Tarot card 20 is "Judgement" - take a look at the card's design - people
are standing around an open grave. One of them is looking at the flying angel
with a trumpet. People are being brought back to life by the sound of angel's
trumpet. That's why Walter's memories and feelings are represented - "brought
back to life" - in his world through Eileen.
The Victim/symbol 20121 is also mentioned in the "Halo of the Sun" section.
(Part 2, 16).
n)
Q: What is the "Receiver of Wisdom"?
A: The Symbol/victim 21121". In a Tarot card deck 21 is "The World" - this
is a "positive" card and it symbolizes Wisdom, Love, defeating one's
weaknesses etc. So, Townshend has enough of this wisdom/love/compassion
(remember - he cares about every victim - despite the fact he should care
about himself only), that's why he is the 21st victim. The meaning of
symbol/victim 21121 is also mentioned in the "Halo of the Sun" section.
o)
Q: Why must the next resident of Room 302 be the last victim?
A: It should be mentioned that Walter Sullivan associated the "Receiver of
Wisdom" with the next resident of the Room (his "Mother" after the "Giver of
wisdom" ("Whoever lives here after me... You'll be the 21st, the last of the
sacrifices..." - this is what Schreiber writes in his letter to the next
resident). Guess this choice of victim is connected with Walter's strange
associations (Room = Mother) - if we compare 15121 and 21121, we will find
out that Walter associated "Wisdom" with "Mother". That's why the "Receiver of
Wisdom" is the "Receiver of the Room", the next tenant.
p)
Q: Is there any connection between the 21 Sacraments/Holy Assumption and the
ritual of the Resurrection of the Dead, which was described in "Lost Memories"
from SH2 sub-scenario?
A: Let's remember the Lost Memories text, which we can found in Maria's
scenario (ATTENITION: this file is missing in the original SH2 version - so if
you don't have Restless Dreams, you'd better run and buy it now).
"I have the strongest trust - you may even call it faith - in the miracle
called "Ressurection of the Dead". Upon the hill where the light descended,
the Beast intoned his song. With words of blood, drops of mist and the vessel
of night, the grave become an open field. The people wept in fear and joy at
the reunion, but my faith in the salvation of Xuchilpaba did not waver. It is
also spoken of in the ancient legends. The original worshippers did not
believe that death was the end but that it was simply the path by which the
deceased returned to nature. They also believed the process was reversible.
(There's something imprinted towards the bottom of the page. Did Ernest write
this? What could it mean?) Blood = Red, Mist = White, Night = Black"
Of course, "Resurrection of the Dead" and the 21 Sacraments/Holy Assumption
are the same. Firstly, red blood, white powder and black goblet - all match.
Second, we can find the name Xuchilpaba here - it is a little altered
Xuchilbara - the name of the red god.
q)
Q: How can the dead can be resurrected by the 21 Sacraments/Holy Assumption
ritual?
A: As we know, the consciousness of the believer, who has performed the ritual
and gained the "Power of Heaven", and also the minds of people who somehow
managed to get drawn into someone's subconscious world, stay there, manifested
by some symbol. So, what will happen if this world gains enough power to draw
in everybody? These "dead men", enclosed in the subconscious world of the
believer, will exist again - they will be "resurrected" by the alteration of
realities. This way everything can be resurrected - one's self, one's
illusions, one's God, etc. - everything that person who "powered" this
subconscious world believes. This way, Alessa gave birth (almost gave birth)
to her subconsious God (well, not by means of the Holy Assumption, but the
idea is the same).
r)
Q: Why did Walter carve his name on victims?
A: According to the 21 Sacraments description text, name carving was not
necessary - seems like it was added by Walter or his teachers from the cult.
Anyway, taking into account that the 21 Sacraments' meaning is to suck people
into someone's subconscious world, it can be said that these people stayed
inside Sullivan's world - i.e. they became a part of Sullivan.
10-3. The ritual of burning.
Religious meaning: birth of someone's subconscious God through pain and
suffering.
Description: Lost Memories "In another sacrificial rite mentioned in the same
book, the victim is burned alive. This was a more dignified ceremony in which
prisoners and sinners were not allowed to participate, only the clergy could
be sacrificed. Similar to the burning at the stake, no comparable rite can be
found in the religions practiced nearby. It may have some connection with the
main deity being a sun God."
Explanation: this ritual is common in the "yellow" sect; it was practiced by
Indians and was introduced to the cult by St. Nicholas. The main idea of
summoning the God is the same as in the 21 Sacraments. First, a victim is
needed (a girl will suit better - this is connected with psychoenergetic
potential - "Negative emotions, like fear, worry, or stress manifest Into
external energy with physical effects...Although it's Not clear why,
adolescents, especially girls, Are prone to such occurrences" - this is what
we found in library in SH1), the victim will be tortured for a long time to
make them feel as much pain as possible (or, we can say, to strengthen the
power of feelings) - of course, the victim's mind will try to save itself from
the pain of the material world and its consciousness will try to run to the
world of the subconsciousness (this will lead to creation of a strong
subconscious world) - and, when it tries to escape, White Claudia should be
given to the victim (if it's necessary) and the victim should be burned (this
is caused by origins of the ritual - the native Americans were worshiping the
Sun as a God, and it's also very Painful). So, in fact this is just like Holy
Assumption" ("Be released from the bonds of the flesh" and the martyr,
released from his body, gains the "Power of Heaven" - if everything goes as
planned, he (pr she) is no more bound by flesh in this world. So, later
everything goes just like in the 21 Sacraments ritual - if martyr has
experienced enough strong" feelings (or if he was forced to experience), his
subconscious world will gain enough power to swallow another people - and,
this way, it will gain more and more energy, until it gains enough to swallow
up every person in the world (remember Alessa from SH1).
Religious metaphor: The eternal flame of pain moves the world around.
10-4. Ritual execution in Toluca prison.
(The original text of this article was written by BAHEK, additions were made
by SilentPyramid) [then it was translated by 401st Stalker and the resulting
"translation" was then corrected by Darth_Blade in a very pissed off mode -
Translator's note]
It is known that native Americans practiced human sacrifice. The original
Indian ritual of blood-spilling is "Offering prayers, pierce a man's chest
with a copper stake. Drench the altar in the blood which spouts red from the
heart, to praise and to show loyalty unto God", but it was made more violent
later (this ritual is the origin of ritual execution in SH and 21
Sacraments". Let's examine the "upgraded" version of the ritual.
First, let's remember some scenes from the game:
A picture in SH1 near the altar in "nowhere", where Alessa is praying: a naked
woman with tied hands is hung on a rope. The executioner holds a spear near
her chest.
SH3, first dead body in the alternative cafe has a scar on the right side -
wound inflicted by a spear?
Victims from SH1 - the corpses seems very... thin - maybe their stomachs are
empty? I.e. there is NOTHING inside? On some corpses we can clearly see
stitches.
The corpse from SH3, alternative Brookhaven, from which blood was dripping
into a bucket - Heather describes it as a "full all-out bloodletting".
The picture named "Crimson and White Banquet for Gods", where we can see two
Pyramid-headed executioners with a bucket of blood.
Ritual of spilling blood over an altar which Heather does before meeting
Leonard Wolf.
Pyramid-Head's room - we can see a corpse in a cage.
The picture "Misty day, remains of the Judgment" - an executioner with a spear
is standing in front of skewered prisoners.
So, a victim is needed (a woman - picture from SH1). The victim is hung on a
rope (the rope is tied to both hands, but, in rare cases, to one hand). Then
victim's chest is pierced by a copper spear (yeah, the spear originally was
the "copper stake" of the Indians), but the spear hits not the heart but the
right side of the body - because of this the victim does not die at the time
of the hit, but it will suffer from pain for a long time. Then, the victim is
hung on the rope (but this time upside-down). What a victim does - we can see
in one of the corridors in SH4 and in a video from SH2 (Pyramid-Head holding
one of the Lying Figures).
It is possible that then executioners let out the victim's guts while the
victim was still alive. Many corpses from SH have slashed stomachs. When all
internal organs (even the heart) are taken out, the wound is stitched up (we
can see the stitches on some corpses), and the body (dead already) is hung
upside down over some bowl to collect blood (remember Crimson and White
Banquet for the Gods). The heart of the victim is cut and the altar is
drenched in blood (SH3 - LM).
Now let's say a couple of words about the stomach slashing and taking the guts
out. The stitch can be seen on the corpses in PH's lair. By the way, we can
mention the interesting similarity between SH execution and ancient Egyptian
traditions: the picture on the gallow is made in Egyptian style + the pyramid
(the symbol of pharaohs' power) = the triangular hood of the executioners. So,
what did the ancient egyptians do before embalming a body? Yeah, the guts of
the pharaoh were taken out, and the cut then stitched.
So, after that the body of the sinner who has received his punishment (it
wasn't always a deserved one: "Death upon the head of a sinner!"), was nailed
to an iron cage (the body in the cage symbolizes that even after death the
sinner will still stay in the cage, and something in it reminds me about the
eternal circle of the subconscious world), and the paper describing the crime
committed by the sinner was often fastened to the face of the corpse.
After that the dead body was hung somewhere to provide fear and terror among
the citizens of Silent Hill. "Dead men, dead men swinging in a tree. How many
dead men do you see?"
So, the justice is done and the Gods are pleased.
11. Metatron
Metatron's Seal in SH3 and Samael\Metatron's Seal in SH1, left a lot of
questions to the fans of SH series. Using the information from LM and our
knowledge of the influence of other religions on religion of SH, we'll
answer all of these questions.
11-1. Metatron and Samael, religious sources
Samael and Metatron, specified in SH1, they are not a fiction of authors -
these angels exist in the real religion. Let's find out more information
about them to understand the latent sense of idea with Signs of
Samael\Metatron.
According to the Kabbalah (do not forget Dahlia's beliefs) and Great Lost
Memories, from the beginning the Angels Samael and Metatron were a single
whole where good and evil counterbalanced each other - but subsequently
this "single whole" was separated to the "evil" Samael and a "good"
Metatron (that obviously sends us to the history of separating Alessa's
soul to the Half-Alessa and Sheryl). Samael subsequently has received the
status of the fallen angel, the angel of death and often has been
associated with the Devil and attributed such acts as seduction of Eve,
and also paternity of the Kain. Besides told, that Samael's appearance was
the huge twelve-winged snake.
It is considered, that Samael and Metatron after separation became
opponents: Samael personifies evil forces, Metatron - good forces... But
actually Metatron, as well as Samael is the supreme angel of death, and
the God make daily instructs concerning the souls to take away. Also he
has the ability to dispell any spell (for example, In one of the legends
Metatron was the only angel powerful enough to break a powerful spell of
the two evil magicians, which were trying to get to the heavens). Metatron
is the most powerful of Briatic world's archangels and he is "the personal
secretary of the Supreme". But how does he looks like? The Kabbalah told,
that Metatron has 36 wings (by the amount of the righteous persons living
in the each generation due to which existence of the world is supported)
and uncountable set of eyes (you should be glad, that Metatron did not
become some mid-boss in Alessa's world). Besides, Metatron - is the only
angel which has right to sit.
11-2. the Seal of Metatron and the Mark of Samael
Identical at the first sight symbols as the triangle in the circle in the
first part of game are called as two different names - "the Seal of
Metatron" and "the Mark of Samael" that should cause doubts in the player.
For example, Dahlia in the dialogue with Harry Mason on the yacht in SH1
names strange symbols as the Mark of Samael(" It is the Mark of Samael ")
and she is threatening, that its distribution will lead to the
catastrophic consequences, and in SH3 precisely the same symbol is called
as the Seal of the Metatron which should destroy Alessa's God and her
world. How could the same symbol be simultaneously The Mark of Samael and
the Seal of the Metatron!? Knowing, that angels Samael and Metatron were
initially a single whole, it is not surprising, that both of them have the
same symbol - Mark of Samael/Seal of Metatron. By the way, pay attention
to the abbreviations of Mark of Samael (MoS) and Seal of Metatron (SoM),
apparently - MoS is the SoM on the contrary, that make us think again
about the essence of Samael and Metatron.
Otherwise, the triangle in the circle is the symbol of the two deities -
Metatron and Samael, therefore in the religion there are two variants of
the name - " Mark of Samael " and " the Seal of the Metatron ". But
irrespective of the names, both of these kabbalistic angels has the
functions relative to the destruction - that's why the symbol has the
function of destruction and dispel. In the first part of the game Alessa
tried to use the Seal of Metatron\Mark of Samael to destroy her own world
and to prevent the God's birth - it was unprofitable to Dahlia, therefore
she wanted to use Harry Mason to stop Alessa. And in the dialogue with the
writer she named the symbol as the symbol of evil demon Samael (instead of
the good archangel Metatron) to confuse Harry and to make him believe that
distribution of this symbol foretells bad consequences and should be
stopped. As we understand, if she has used the " Seal of the Metatron "
Mason could have doubts - that's why this was the artful tactical move.
11-3. Functions and conditions of the Seal of Metatron\the Mark of Samael
What the functional applicability of the symbol? To answer this question
it is necessary to remember the book "Otherworld Laws" where were
described the functions of the symbol. Let's see:
a) " It will bring results regardless of whether the target is good or
evil " - means the connection of the Mark of Samael and the Seal of
Metatron is - it combines the forces of good (Metatron) and evil (Samael).
Therefore this powerful charm imposes big responsibility for the user.
b) " strong protective properties " - this charm can protect its owner
c) " strong dispelling properties " - it has the ability to dispel, to
destroy magic charms. This function allows the Seal of Metatron to destroy
Alessa's world.
ã) Notice that in the book this symbol is called also as the " Virun VII
Crest ", that testifies that the sign has at least THREE used names...
Nevertheless, it is necessary to note, that the Seal of Metatron\the Sign
of Samael works only UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. The truth about these
conditions is revealed by the authors in the questions and answers of
official guide to the SH1 (released only in Japan) - the matter is that in
the Alessa's world this symbol will work, if it will be in the certain
places of the city - Midwich school, Alchemilla hospital, antique shop
Green Lion, a beacon and the amusement park. Otherwise it will not work
and would not be able to destroy Alessa's " other world's" charms.
11-4. Is the Seal of Metatron\Mark of Samael have a REAL power?
Actually Claudia was right, when she spoke about the charm " it's just a
piece of junk " - indeed, in the REAL world this thing will never be able
to work. But the subconscious world lives with the other laws - and there
the magic is possible, using the charms is possible, everything is
possible, if the founder of this subconscious world will believe.
And here comes is the main law of the subconscious world: the thing,
person will believe, will take place in his inner world. Why? Let's find
out by SH1:
a) Alessa has the mother fanatically devoted to religion and superb
knowledge in occult.
b) We examine the shelves with books in the Alessa's room - there are a
lot of huge religious books (" serious stuff " - Heather's notice). Mother
forced her daughter to learn all the books, she forced her to trust in the
Seal of the Metatron, in the Mark of Samael, in Aglaophotis and Flauros...
And this belief then will be reflected in the inner world of the naive
girl.
c) The girl trusts, that the tracing of the shining sign of Metatron (or
the Mark of Samael ^ __ ^) will lead to to destruction of this world and
the destruction of the God, and she tried to prevent the Birth - for this
purpose she puts Seales of Metatron in her world. Alessa has the
antagonism of desires: on the one hand she wishes the Birth of the fallen
angel, which death will destroy hated people (Alessa's aggression, her
destructive side), other - wants to escape from an eternal circle, and
also she doesn't want the death of the father (after Cheryl's return) -
she wishes to destroy her world, before it's too late. And for this
purpose she tries to distribute in her world the mystical symbol to
destroy a nightmare. But outside the inner world of Alessa these signs
have no magic power.
11-5. Why does the Seal of Metatron didn't worked in SH3?
There are two explanations - the first - according to the religion, the
second - according to the mechanism.
à) According to the religion
According to the religion, the Seal of Metatron has not worked because it
has not been used in the certain places of the city - Neither Heather, nor
Vincent didn't know how to use it properly. Therefore it's not worked in
the Alessa's world. But if Heather before going to the park has some time
to go to the school, hospital, antiquarian shop and a beacon - the " other
world " could be destroyed by the force of the mystical symbol...
á) According to the mechanism
We know, that inner world of the person reflects all of his beliefs
(including religious). But in SH3 Heather admits, that she does not
believe in occultism, and her trust is ripped apart with the Claudia's
words " It's just a piece of junk. What do you think you can do with it?
I'm sorry you fell for my father's foolishness ", having dissuaded Heather
in the Metatron's magic "mumbo-jumbo". Even Vincent, who gave Heather the
book about magic and occultism, forced her to believe in the magic force
of the Seal, could not convince the girl. Heather didn't believed in the
Seal, she didn't know how this thing should work - and this absence of
belief in the charm's magic was reflected in her world, the Seal didn't
worked.
(P.S. Nevertheless Aglaophotis worked in SH3 since the functions of this
plant has been written in the book, and Heather really trusted her beloved
father who has presented her " a red pill ")
12. Magical objects and books of Silent Hill
Now let's see all of the objects met in SH-series which possess magic
abilities, and especially important books devoted to the religion of
Silent Hill for better understanding of some mystical phenomena of a
series.
12-1. Flauros
Description of abilities: " Here, The Flauros, A cage of peace. It can
break through the walls of darkness and counteract the wrath of the
underworld ".
Meaning of the name: Flauros is a name of one of the 72 demons which were
summoned by legendary tsar Solomon (by the way, in SH1 it is possible to
find the Amulet of Solomon). We can find mentions of him in Lemengtone -
the magic book which was copied from manuscripts of the Israel tsar
Solomon.
In the story: How could so precious thing come to Dahlia? Easy! Maybe the
bum has sold it for the bottle of Healthdrink or a dose of White Claudia
(I guess, that person was very pleased, that has favourably sold this
useless junk to the loony woman), and then Dahlia was very happy with this
cube, yelled about its improbable abilities and forced (methods of
physical influence - " Most likely her mother is abusing her. I've never
seen her come in without some sort of scrape or bruise " - writes K.Gordon
about Alessa Gillespie) Alessa - this girl, already tortured by " occult
lessons ", to learn this magic abilities of Flauros. Certainly Flauros was
just a junk, and all its prospective magic abilities - are Dahlia's
misleadings, created with her fanatical occult hobby. But Dahlia's lessons
were succesful - and her misleadings, have taken effect on Alessa's
subconscious world (speaking Vincent's words, " It is forever burned into
her mind "), and Alessa seriously began to believe, that Flauros possesses
the improbable force - and it was reflected in her inner world, not the
magic power of a children's toy has impressed Alessa, but it's became
possible ofly by Alessa's beliefs. Here's the description of Flauros from
LM: " It has the ability to break the continuity of the boundary that
surrounds Alessa " - notice, that it's written about ALESSA's and,
probably, it wouldn't work anywhere, but in her inner world, that means,
that this cube of Flauros does not possess any magical force.
It's very important dialogue: when Dahlia in her last meeting begins her "
sermons " about magic, Harry told: " I'm in no mood for jokes... That's
absurd ", Dahlia answers him: " You are the only one who thinks so " -
really, Alessa has created the world and establishes it's rules, that's
why the things she trust, will be in her inner world, whether it'll be
fantastic characters, bloody monsters or magic spells. Thus, Konami " says
", that not some cheap "magic" trinkets, but the true Faith can do magic.
12-2. (Aglaophotis)
Description of abilities: " Red liquid or crystals resembling blood.
According to the Kabbalah, the name is taken from a herb with the power to
dispel evil spirits. It is said to grow in Arabian deserts. It may be
vaporized or applied as a poultice to guard against demons. It is
powerful, but as it is rare it is extremely difficult to obtain ".
The information to think about: Aglaophotis is a plant of small growth
(the length of a root approximately in 4-5 times exceeds length of an
elevated part of a plant), with a thickish stalk and the dense thick
leaves, growing in the Arabian deserts. It is considered, that it has an
abilitiy to expel evil spirits\demons and to summon good (for example, it
was used for summoning of wind spirits - each spirit corresponded to the
certain direction of a wind and has it's own name - for example, Hamum -
spirit of northern wind, Faleh - the spirit of a southern wind). The root
of this plant aws used for this purpose.
It is necessary to note the process of gathering aglaophotis: according to
beliefs, aglaophotis should be gathered during the time when neither the
Moon, nor the Sun " doesn't see you ", and it is the extremely important
to "not to offend" a plant, during the gathering to care about it with due
respect. The root should be separated from a stalk exactly in the moment
when the first star will grow gim.
Knowing this, just think, HOW EXPENSIVE should be aglaophotis, collected
with observance of these ritual subtleties and brought in the USA from the
Arabian deserts... (*_*)
In the plot of Silent Hill\Silent Hill 3: Aglaophotis is not hallucination
and it wasn't created by Alessa (then Harry Mason could not take it away
it with him), but it's difficult to judge about these "magic" abilities -
most likely, they are the result of Alessa's conviction in magic power,
but, unfortunately, Alessa didn't learnt it well enough - that's why
Aglaofotis works completely inadequately in the inner world of a little
girl. Dahlia, seeing, that the bottle approaching Alessa on was 100% sure,
that this is the end of her God (" Stop it!! " - and in the occult she
couldn't mistake. That means, she perfectly understood, what is able to
summon EVIL spirit\demon). " What on earth? It's not supposed to... " -
says Kaufmann, realizing, that for some reason everything goes not as is
written in the ancient books. Aglaophotis instead of destroying a demon,
takes it from Alessa's body in pretty good shape...
Besides during SH series we never saw abilities of Aglaophotis OUTSIDE OF
Alessa's world, full of mystical biases of the girl - this means, it is
necessary to believe, that Aglaophotis - actually is a usual grass, but it
works in Alessa's world for the same reasons, as Flauros.
12-3. The "Lost Memories" book
Comment: It's the work of the obscure author analyzing history of Silent
Hill when Indians lived on this territory - events shrouded in a fog of
centuries. The city keeps a lot of memories, but also it keeps eternal
Silence... Probably, the author of this book wanted to become the voice of
Silent Hill, to merge with it in a single whole?
Anyhow, this book appears in two and a half parts of a series (Silent Hill
2, Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams and Silent Hill 3) and reveals a lot of
history of city - for example, it describes beliefs, ceremonies of
Indians, opens the secret of reviving dead through sacred ritual, etc.
12-4. Artifacts for the ritual of Holy Assumption
a) White Chrism
(presumably an oil made of hallucination seeds of White Claudia)
It is required for fulfilment of Holy Assumption ritual, hallucination
abilities of White Claudia allows human consciousness to go deep into
themselves. It is necessary for reception of " Force of Heavens ". Use -
it is poured in the Obsidian Goblet and, probably, lights up. Symbolizes a
fog.
b) Obsidian Goblet
The black cup with a leg as the snake symbolizes night and darkness.
There's poured the liquid named White Chrism. But, basically, there's no
any special meaning of this Goblet - I think, it is possible to do
everything without it.
c) Great Knife
The huge ritual knife used at the ceremony for cutting of 10 hearts of
sinners, and then, most likely, for disposal of a body of the believer.
Executioners in Prison Toluca the same knifes, but, probably, they were
rather quickly convinced of their impracticality - that's why in SH4 the
Room we can see reduced (almost twice) version of ritual Great Knife which
were used by Sullivan. But, for successful ritual, it is possible to use a
usual knife (or even the soup spoon?).
12-5. The Book of Crimson Ceremony
The text: " Speak. I am the Crimson One. The lies and the mist are not
they but I. You all know that I am One. Yes, and the One is I. Believers
hearken to me! Twenty score men and seven thousand beasts. Heed my words
and speaketh them to all, that they shall ever be obeyed even under the
light of the proud and merciless sun. I shall bring down bitter vengeance
upon thee and thou shalt suffer my eternal wrath. The beauty of the
withering flower and the last struggles of the dying man, they are my
blessings. Thou shalt ever call upon me and all that is me in the place
that is silent. Oh, proud fragrance of life which flies towards the heart.
Oh Cup which brims with the whitest of wine, it is in thee that all
begins".
Comments: The book describing the ritual of Holy Assumption, being the
main ritual of the "red" sect. The narration is conducted, ostensibly, on
behalf of " the Crimson One " - on behalf of the patron of bloody ritual,
the RED piramidal head American Indian deity named Xuchilpaba. Also in
this book we can see, that American Indian ritual of sacrifice (Lost
Memories: " The roots of the Crimson Ceremony lie in Mayan and Aztec
rituals. At one time, the ritual of human sacrifice was quite prevalent ")
is advanced and copied with religious manners - the author has tried to
mark the in a history.
12-6. The Crimson Tome
The text: " She who is called the " Holy Mother " be not holy one whit.
The " Descent of the Holy Mother " is naught but the Descent of the Devil.
Those that be called the " 21 Sacraments " be not sacramental one whit.
The " 21 Sacraments " be naught but the 21 Heresies. To give birth to a
realm of wickedness within the blessed realm of our Lord be blasphemy and
the work of the Devil. If thou would stop the Descent of the Devil, you
must bury part of the Conjurer's mother's flesh within the Conjurer's true
body. Thou must also pierce the Conjurer's flesh with the 8 spears of "
Void, " "Darkness", "Gloom", "Despair", "Temptation", "Source",
"Watchfulness" and "Chaos." Do so and the Conjurer's unholy flesh will
become that which once it was, by the grace of our Lord ".
Comments: The ancient book (you do not believe, that it is ancient? Look
at language of narration!) where representatives of sect of the Lord,
doesn't want the Births of the Gods created by human reason and expecting
resurrection of the Lord, scolding "red" sect - the biggest part of the
book is devoted to criticism of Sacred Mother, Holy Assumption, etc. It is
known, that Walter Sullivan, Joseph Schreiber and Henry Townshend read
this book.
I think, the fanatical belief of supporters of the Lord's sect does not
allow them to understand, that their Lord summoned in 1865, (summoned with
disrespected rituals of replacement realities) also is a product of human
subconsciousness and in fact the same as Alessa's "Samael", "PyramidHead"
of James, "God" in SH3, and Walter Sullivan's "Germ".
12-7. Otherworld Laws
The text: " This magic square, with strong protective and dispelling
properties, is called the ' Virun VII crest ' or the ' Seal of Metatron '.
It will bring results regardless of whether the target is good or evil;
its strength, therefore, places a very high burden on the caster. As it is
also difficult to control, it is not usually used. This is why it bears
the name 'Metatron' after the angel Metatron (or Metratron) also known as
the Agent of God ".
Comments: Huge, faded from time, occult book for the certain reasons
appearing in the cult library, where Alessa and Claudia spent their time -
as Dahlia and Leonard . Now guess WHO has brought IT in the library. You
know? Of course, this book has been brought from somewhere by Dahlia
Gillespie (really, she is talented for getting trash) and has brought to
the library. Basically, this book is useless - as we can see in SH3, the
information from this book is useless. The only thing, this book is able
to do is to raise hopes in the believer, or simply to confuse people (as
it happened with Vincent and Leonard).
12-8. The Seal of Metatron\Samael
Description of abilities: see Part 2, section 11.
In the plot of Silent Hill 3: For the certain reasons Leonard Wolf
trusted, that this thing is able to destroy God and counted himself as its
keeper. Also cult thought, that 17 years prior to events of SH1, the Birth
of God was prevented by using the Seal of Metatron by faithless heretics
(similar thing confused Vincent). Certainly, Claudia was right - the Seal
of Metatron actually is " just a piece of junk " her silly father has
believed. But, nevertheless, in the end of SH3 the Seal of Metatron\Samael
was able to destroy the God - if Heather really believed in the powers of
this Seal, but the girl does not believe in magic (when Heather reads
occult magazine in the subway, she says, that such bosh can be esteemed
only for fun, but shouldn't think serious about this stuff), therefore the
Seal does not work in Alessa\Heather's world.
12-9. The book " Silent Hill's Ancient Gods: A Study of Their Etymology
and Evolution " (About Syncretic Religions)
The text: " There is no religion that has remained unchanged from the
moment it was founded. This one is no exception. When the religion fell
into the hands of immigrants, it was deeply influenced by their own
original Christian beliefs. For example, the traditional representations
of these primal Gods may be given the names and descriptions of christians
angels. Thus shared characteristics begin to appear. (There is also one
rare example of the chief deity, ' Creator of Paradise 'or' Lord of
Serpents and Reeds', being dubbed with a demons name of course, this was
not done by believers but by their opponents.) "
Comments: This book describes religion of SH, most likely, at the moment
coming up from underground. The special attention has the influence of the
other religions (and personal outlooks of believers) on formation of SH
religion.
It is necessary to note, that the author of " About Syncretic Religions "
shows big attention to such important details, as constant change and
step-type behaviour of God's shape in the cult - for example, in the book
there's the image of God esteemed in a cult during events of SH1, when,
due to the diligence of Dahlia and Leonard, demon tendencies prevailed in
the cult (the image: a horned - winged demon with goatee head and (also
see Konami concept art of Samael) erection, frankly speaking about a
sexual belonging of God, Dahlia Gillespie trusted - and subsequently has
forced Alessa to believe), also the image of God after editing religion by
Claudia (the image: Alessa).
12-10. Sword of Obedience
Description: " I've found something that's extremely effective against the
ghosts. It saved my life. It was stuck into the huge rock in the woods
near the orphanage. It's a sword blade with a hand-made, triangle-shaped
wooden handle that has some kind of spell written on it. As a weapon, it's
heavy and hard to carry. But somehow it seems to change in response to the
ghost-victim's power. Strike when the sword is energized! If you do not
reduce their power, your attacks will be repelled. As far as I know, there
are only 5 swords in existence with that kind of power. It's extremely
valuable ".
Religious value: the Sword with the spell engraved on it and the
triangular handle, stopping victims of Walter... Most likely, victims of
bloody ritual were pierced with this sword that they can not move, and
the triangular handle says us the features of deity's image - patron of
"red" ritual, and also the shape of Toluca prison's executioners, making
severe ritual executions.
In the plot of Silent Hill 4: Schreiber has found a sword near Wish House
- this is obvious, but whence after visiting the shelter he has found out,
that there are 5 swords? The answer is simple and clear - he subtracted it
in a religious book from a shelter. Naturally, Walter Sullivan read this
book in the shelter (and maybe forced to learn by heart, as well as 21
Sacraments, under fear of an imprisonment in Water Prison). As a result
Walter has believed in existence of these swords, has believed that they
can operate on phantoms and even that there are 5 swords - as it is
written in the book... The similar belief has been reflected in Sullivan's
subconscious world - 5 magic swords.
By the way, there are no magic swords in any other part of SH - they can
be founded only in SH4 - another confirmation, that magic swords are
Sullivan's reflection in his world only subjective confusion.
12-11. The Holy Candle and the Saint Medallion
Description: " I've found two mysterious and powerful artifacts that seem
to be very effective for evading the ghost-victims: the Holy Candle and
the Saint Medallion. Not only are they effective against the ghost-victims
in the Other World, they also seem to prevent them from invading my room.
Just light the candle near where they're coming in and its holy power is
activated. The Saint Medallion seems to repel unholy energy when it's worn
(equipped.) I'm starting to gain some hope ".
Religious value: Candles were in rituals of transcendental magic in the
cult - pay attention, that MotherStone is completely arranged with
candles. Accordingly, the Saint Medallion should preserve its carrier
against forces of the other world.
In the plot of Silent Hill 4: Absolutely the same as swords - except
Walter's world these things will not work anywhere (if only the founder of
the new world will not be confused by this cult and will not believe in
artefacts' power).
12-12. Spears of Holy Mother
Description: " Spear with " Holy Mother " carved into it. The " Crimson
Tome " says that I have to stick eight of these spears into Walter's body".
Meaning: authors of Crimson Tome were sure, that 21 Sacraments ritual can be
prevented, if the body of the one who makes this ritual, to be pierced
with eight spears of Emptiness, Darkness, Gloom, Despair, Sin, Source,
Supervision and Chaos, each of them will have an inscription " Holy Mother
". I don't know, why authors of this book have decided, that it will work,
but naive Walter, having read Crimson Tome has believed in efficiency of
this method - that's why spears will work and in his inner world that
gives Townshend quite good chance of a victory.
12-13. The Scriptus of the cult\21 Sacraments
The text: " The First Sign: And God said, At the time of fullness, cleanse
the world with my rage. Gather forth the White Oil, the Black Cup and the
Blood of the Ten Sinners. Prepare for the Ritual of the Holy Assumption.
The Second Sign: And God said, Offer the Blood of the Ten Sinners and the
White Oil. Be then release from the bonds of the flesh, and gain the Power
of Heaven. From the Darkness and Void, bring forth Gloom, and gird thyself
with Despair for the Giver of Wisdom. The Third Sign: And God said, Return
to the Source through sin's Temptation. Under the Watchful eye of the
demon, wander alone in the formless Chaos. Only then will the Four
Atonements be in alignment. The Last Sign: And God said, separate from the
flesh too, she who is the Mother Reborn and he who is the Receiver of
Wisdom. If this be done, by the Mystery of the 21 Sacraments, the Mother
shall be reborn and the Nation of Sin shall be redeemed ".
Value: the Scriptus of a cult has been lost once, but then was restored by
the person named St. Stephen - you can see this book in confessional of
SH3, the cellar of a shelter and confidential room in SH4. Very valuable
is a chapter of the Scriptus where it is spoken about 21 Sacraments,
Walter Sullivan was forced to learn in the shelter.
12-14. The Book of Praise
The text: unknown.
Value: The book, describing how to wake the God sleeping in a womb of Holy
Mother by making her (Mother) suffer, feel the rage and other negative
emotions.
In the plot of SH3: on November 14-th Father Vincent gave to naive Claudia
Wolf the book of Praise where was described how to wake the God. The
methods described in this book, have seemed too severe for Claudia - how
could she do something like this with her sister? But she has no other
choice - she really wanted to bring Paradise to the Earth, to relieve
people of suffering... Claudia will do everything, for the sake of
humanity (" I do not want to be a mere bystander in this world "), even
with this severe methods, and making suffer her beloved Alessa, Claudia
will never be forgiven (" For the pain i've caused you i deserve no
mercy... "). By the way, Vincent will regret that he has given this book
to the fanatic - but it will be too late.
12-15. Channeling Stone
Description: " A mystical stone possessing power. If used somewhere the
result will be...? "
In the plot of Silent Hill: similar dark blue pieces of glass with the
image of the big eye on the underside (*the* always watching you, heh)
were on sale in the econom-shop Convenience Store 8 in the north of city.
Hardly to believe that such thing could be really valuable, but it was in
demand after hearings about flights of UFO above a city beacon. The girl
by name Alessa (and, presumably, she's not the only one) even trusted,
that if to use the stone in the certain places in the city it is really
possible to call UFO... Such nonsense!
13. Halo of the Sun
This symbol has been borrowed by Silent Hill's cult from traditions of
Indians where the red circle designated light of their main deity - the
god of the Sun, and in later has been made as a symbol of the religious
organization " the Order " though it has numerous changes which have
essentially deepened the value of HotS. The Halo of the Sun we can see in
SH2, SH3 and SH4, carries a deep sense, reflecting ideas of revival, the
God and an inner world. Suffering childhood of Alessa has been connected
with him - that is why in SH3 when Heather looks at the symbol from the
past, she has a headache -it's painful, the memoirs come back. Also the
symbol is connected with a childhood of the other character - Walter
Sullivan.
According to traditions of " the Order ", the huge value has the color of
HotS: red or black color of HotS means praise to the God but if it is
represent in dark blue color - it will mean imposing curse on the God.
13-1. Religious meaning of the "Halo of the Sun"
Let's see all the basic elements of a mystical symbol to get the most
complete representation about the value of the Halo of the Sun.
- According to the description of a sign, 3 internal circles symbolize the
past, the present and the future, and can be interpreted as a cycle of
time.
- Between external circles on the parts of a sign corresponding to 90,
180, 270 and 360 degrees of a circle, there are the images symbolizing
accordingly "Chaos", "Source", "Temptation", the "Supervision"
corresponding symbols\victims at the numbers "19121", "17121", "16121",
"18121" in 21 Sacraments. Also we know, that in the cult victims\symbols
of 21 Sacraments were considered as elements for construction of the inner
world, two external circles personify the world created through " 21
Sacraments " and Revival of the God and Holy Mother in this world.
- Two external circles symbolize "Revival" and "Mercy". Similar values
have also the victims 20 and 21 in 21 Sacraments.
- The small sign in middle of Halo of the Sun with an image of the ROYAL
CROWN personifies the God as the governor of the world
RESULT: " Halo of the Sun " symbolizes, that mercy and eternally the God
is in the center of the world created through 21 Sacraments (and is its
part), and is surrounded with a cycle of the past, the present and the
future. He does not know death and can be revived in this world so many
times, as it's necessary.
13-2. Signs on external circle of Halo of the Sun?
Let's see, what is the meaning of the symbols traced between external
circles on the parts of a sign, corresponding 90, 180, 270 and 360 degrees
of a circle.
a) The top symbol. We can see an eye - it is an image from the Taro card
at number 22, called " the Eye Of Night ". This symbol personifies the God
observing the world (therefore he is above) and keeping order in this
world. Accordingly, an eye of Divine - is the symbol of constant
supervision as though reminding " I'm ALWAYS watching you ". This symbol
in ritual 21 Sacraments corresponds to a victim with number 18121 (yes, on
a place of the top symbol in SH4 is imposed the tablet of 18-th victim).
It's not a coincidence that the theme of murder 18121 is "Supervision"
(and a victim - supervisor Andrew DeSalvo) is related with idea of the
All-seeing God.
b) The bottom symbol. And here is real-life religious symbol - " the
signature of the Satan ". The image of a devil's sign we can observe in
the contract between the Devil and Urben Grandier, submitted as the proof
in the court in Looden in 1634 (it is written to Latin, with use of a
mirror from right to left - reminding idea with mirror reflected fleeces
in the cult symbol), and also in the book of Elifas Levi " The Doctrine
and Ritual of Transcendic Magic ". This symbol represents the Satan, the
Devil. It is not surprising, that the Devil below - as contrast to an
image of the supreme, all-seeing God who is keeping order in the world
(see the top symbol). And, certainly, as contrast to the Divine Order, the
Devil should bear Chaos. We also impose the tablet of "Chaos" for " the
Signature of the Satan ". It's not a coincidence that the theme of murder
19121 is "Chaos" (and a victim - explosive, aggressive Richard Braintree)
is connected to idea of the Devil Chaos created in human reason.
c) Symbol at the left. Scales are shown - it is not necessary to have
deep occult knowledge to understand, that scales - is the most ancient
symbol of Justice. This symbol in 21 Sacraments corresponds to a victim
with number 16121 (on the place of the top symbol the tablet of 16-th
victim is imposed in SH4). It's not a coincidence that the theme of murder
16121 is "Temptation" (and a victim - sinner Cynthia Velasquez) is
connected with idea of the Sin and Justice.
d) Symbol on the right. This image reminds the figure of the human,
ducking and holding a torch, the light source, in the raised hand as if
shining the darkness of uncertainty - this symbol actually exists and
particularly is a changed signature of the Lucifier (letters are removed,
but drawn elements have remained - the image reflects that the Lucifier it
" the carrier of light " or "light source"). This symbol in 21 Sacraments
corresponds to a victim with number 17121 (on a place of the top symbol
the tablet of 17-th victim is imposed in SH4). It's not a coincidence that
the theme of murder 17121 is the "Source" (and a victim - the ignited fan
of occultism - Jasper Gein, which became the "light source" itself) is
connected with idea of Belief and Religion.
13-3. What is written on the Halo of the Sun?
On the Halo of the Sun it is possible to notice the strange inscriptions -
what is it? The answer: these are the runes, but all of them are written
as if reflected in a mirror. These inscriptions so are read:
a) The bottom - right corner. Runes write word "Alessa" is a name of the
Mother of god.
b) The bottom - left corner. Runes write word "Dahlia" - a name of mother
of the Mother of god.
c) The top - left corner. Runes write a word "INCUBUS" - an evil demon
who is under cover of night came to the women for satisfaction of his
sexual desires; a nightmare; generally something pressing, oppressive,
preventing. Also "Incubus" is derivative from "Incubator" and means " that
is inside an incubator ". Summarizing all aforesaid, INCUBUS it is
possible to treat as " the Internal demon from dreams ".
d) The top - right corner. And here's the reading of this word does not
have unanimous opinion. Basically, it is read, as "Alizer" (Alessa +
Heather = Alizer?), but left 4-th rune can be read not as "z", but also as
"ks". Then it turns out Alikser
(*P.S.: Thanx to DoVoD for reading the runes *)
13-4. The history of formating Halo of the Sun
In spite of the fact that the mystical symbol has a big history and takes
roots in traditions of Indians, during adaptation by the cult it has
strongly changed. For example, in the chamber of the occultist in prison
of SH2 we can see the ancient variant of the Halo of the Sun - but there
he is represented terribly and with four internal circles. Most likely,
this symbol looked initially (at the moment of origin of the cult), but
after it was edited by Dahlia Gillespie - it has changed the quantity of
circles and has brought in the text (I think, it's obvious, that words
like "Alessa", "Incubus", "Dahlia" were added to this symbol by Dahlia
Gillespie).
14. THE END OF THE SECOND PART
_______________________________________________________________________________
PART 3: TOWN OF SILENT HILL
_______________________________________________________________________________
TO BE TRANSLATED:
1. Geographical Location
1-1. Towns and historical facts
1-2. Location of Ashfield
1-3. Ashfield and Silent Hill. What state is Silent Hill in?
2. The town of Silent Hill.
2-1. General Description
2-2. Toluca Lake
2-3. "We're happy to have you!". Tourist guide.
2-4. The districts.
2-5. Old Silent Hill
2-6. Business District
2-7. North Resort Area
2-8. Paleville
2-9. South Resort Area
2-10. South Vale
2-11. Neigboring towns.
3. History of Silent Hill.
3-1. Before the XVII century. The Place of Silent Spirits (FAQ)
3-2. Second half of the XVII century. “Then a lot of new people came in”
3-3. Beginning of the XVIII century. "God drove the unbelievers away and
threw them into the Abyss"
3-4. Around 1810. "A part of that abyss is in the old society"
3-5. The XIX century. The plague.
3-6. Around 1850. Wiltse Coal Mine opened. "There was a HOLE here...."
3-7. The Civil War
3-8. 1865. "God was born from this two people"
3-9. 1865. The Cult. "We wait in hope for the day when
the Path to Paradise will be opened"
3-10. 1866. Toluca Prison. "Misty day, remains of the Judgment"
3-11. Blood Swamp
3-12. Beginning of the XX century. "We're happy to have you"
3-13. 1918 and 1938. Accidents on Toluca Lake.
3-14. The 1950-s.
3-15. The 1970-s.
3-16. Events of SH1.
3-17. The Cult between SH1 and SH3.
3-18. Walter Sullivan’s killing spree.
3-19. Mysterious events in Ashfield.
3-20. Events of SH3.
3-21. Events of SH2.
3-22. Events of SHDI
3-23. Events of SH4.
4. The Power of the town.
The Silent Call.
Interaction
"In my Restless Dreams I see that Town...Silent Hill"
5. The end of part three.
_______________________________________________________________________________
PART 4: CHARACTER ANALYSIS
_______________________________________________________________________________
In this section you'll find my thoughts on various characters of the series.
You may not like my style of going into great detail about their
personalities, but I just can't restrain myself to a few wide-known facts when
discussing such well-developed characters as Lisa, or James. Such researches
sometimes bring great results - interesting facts can be devised from
analyzing their personas. All sections in this part have a common structure.
First comes a full analysis of the character, then you have some curious
facts, like the meaning of the name (partially from LM, partially from my own
speculations), the character's "personal" soundtrack (i.e. the track[s] that I
think describe him\her the best) etc. etc.
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
1. CHARACTERS OF SILENT HILL 1
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
1-1. Harry (Harold) Mason
Age: 32
Occupation: Writer
Bad luck followed Harry Mason through his whole life... His first wife died 11
years ago (Lost Memories says that Mason's wife died 11 years before SH1, yet
we see him with a woman in the intro - this can only mean that he had two
wives). But he came through the pain and remarried after some time. But his
second wife's health prevented her from having children ("We didn't have any
kids of our own, my wife was sick, and it didn't look like she was getting any
better").
It happened 7 years ago. Returning from their trip to Silent Hill, the Masons
found a newborn child on the roadside - it was a girl. How did she get here?
Was she abandoned by her parents? What will happen to her (remember Walter
Sullivan)? Taking pity on the lost child, the Masons took her with them and
later adopted her. She was given the name Cheryl. Even though she wasn't their
biological daughter, Masons loved her nontheless and saw her as a gift from
God ("Since we were childless, we thanked God for letting us meet this
child.... this girl. We took her home."). [For you nitpickers - he's NOT
talking about the Cult's god - Translator's note] But they didn't know what
hid in the dark corners of the girl's subconsciousness.
Three years later Harry's wife died. Another blow... How much can he take?
Creative people like Harry are usually very easy to hurt, thus it is not hard
to imagine what effect the death of his beloved wife had on him. There is
speculation, that he became a writer AFTER her death, abandoning his previous
job to spend more time with Cheryl. It very well may be, that his wife's death
served as a sort of inspiration and Cheryl was the power that kept him from
drowning in his sorrow (unlike James, who had nobody to rely on) and channel
it through his novels. When Heather looks over her father's letter in SH3, she
says: "As always, this should be novelized" - this shows us an interesting
side of Harry's creativity: he tends to wrap real events into a literary form
and transform them into his novels. Thus, Mason's preferred genre is probably
cheesy novels of unshared love, tragedies of life etc. etc. It is possible,
that he inserts detective and mystic bits to attract more readers. But I doubt
Harry and his daughter live a life of luxury, otherwise they wouldn't go to a
small town in the middle of nowhere and would've bought a better car.
Harry managed to fend off his pain, although "fend off" might not be a correct
term - he just adjusted to it, so that it wouldn't bring him much suffering,
but the inability to have children and the deaths of his two beloved wives
bred sadness in his mind. And, as we know, suffering minds are more
susceptible to psychic energies and are thus easily drawn into subconscious
worlds ("people with afflicted minds are easily drawn to the otherworld" -
LM). That is why Harry falls under Alessa's influence so quickly. But for now
he doesn't know that Fate has yet another blow in store for him. He has no
idea, that on this trip to Silent Hill he will lose Cheryl - the only meaning
of his life.
Can he endure this? Can he cross the Hell of a little girl's mind with only
the faint glow of his flashlight to illuminate the darkness of the human soul?
And, after all this, can he start a new life?
Quote: "My daughter... I've gotta find her."
Metaphor: "Wandering in the darkness in search of hope"
Symbol: "the Lovers" tarot card.
Music: "She"
Name: He was originally to be named Humbert after the protagonist of Stanley
Kubrick's screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita", but was later
renamed to Harold Mason. By the way, the last name is an obvious reference to
the Masonic secret society, whose goal is the recreation of Eden on Earth, the
Golden Age, a kingdom of love and truth. Quite ironic to see that Harry MASON
opposes an cult with VERY similar goals, which is also called "the Order".
1-2. Cheryl Mason.
Age: 7
Occupation: Elementary school student.
Harry's adopted daughter ("Cheryl isn't my biological daughter. I actually
haven't told her yet...We found her abandoned on the side of the highway.")is
that part of Alessa that found the strength to forgive her mother.
She lived happily with her father and was his only hope and light in this
life. Being a single child, Cheryl is probably quite a spoiled girl, but she
loves her father, of which his portrait in her sketchbook speaks clearly.
There's a peculiar duality in this - she inherited the love of drawing from
Alessa, but draws not monsters, but her beloved father.
It is unknown how Cheryl reacted to her mother's (I mean Harry's wife here)
death - little children (Cheryl was 3 then) usually take these things easily.
But she never forgot her mother - in SH3 after reading Harry's diary the
memories of her mother return to Heather.
But, despite the happy life she had, Alessa's identity still dwelled in
Cheryl's subconsciousness and grew stronger with time. So, one day, when she
saw (or heard) a Silent Hill advertisement, she felt a sudden need to go there
(because of Alessa's memories). "I came to Silent Hill. I heard the girl's
pleas and took her with me, not knowing why she wanted us to go there."
When they came to the town, Cheryl remembered her previous life full of
suffering and the "Lost Memories" she had been hiding from returned to her.
Alessa Gillespie has awakened into the nightmare. And that's what Dahlia has
been waiting for the last seven years - with Alessa, the God, born of her pain
and hatred, will awaken... "My daughter will be the Mother of God!"
Quote: "Daddy, where are you?"
Metaphor: "The lost hope"
Symbol: Sketchbook
Music: "I want love"
Name: She was going to be named Dolores, but was eventually renamed to Cheryl
after Sheryl Lee.
1-3. Cybil Bennet.
Age: 28
Occupation: Police officer
Cybil came from Brahms (according to the road sign at the beginning point in
SH2 she covered 26,5 miles to get to SH!). She is probably the only character
in SH1 (not counting the monsters), that got into Alessa's world by pure bad
luck.
Judging by the dialogues, Cybil cannot see all of the Otherworld - she doesn't
see any monsters or bloody walls, but neither she does the citizens. When
Harry tries to explain everything to her in the boat, she says: "Harry, this
whole thing's been a major blow to you. You need to rest". But she can see the
fog and the collapsed roads. In the intro, Harry sees her bike on the
roadside. Cybil probably saw a big hole in the road and decided to walk around
it on foot (of course, it only exists in her subjective reality) - that was
the first time when Cybil was affected by the power of Alessa's inner world.
She can't find any logical explanation to the strange events going on around
her ("The phones are all dead, and the radio, too") but feels that there's
something wrong going on ("But from what I can tell, something bizarre is
going on. That's all I know"). That is why she gives Harry a gun and always
keeps on guard. Her behaviour in the hidden church is a good example.
But she does not believe in mysticism - she is an officer of the law,
representing rationality and logic in SH1. Even seeing Cheryl (Alessa) walking
on the water does not change her mind. The police can't catch the drug
dealers, but even Harry, who is not a detective, easily finds the drugs. PLUS
Silent Hill is a very small town. Just HOW could the police not find the
dealers? The answer is simple: Kaufmann and co. had it all covered. Was Cybil
in the deal? The question is left unanswered. But whatever the answer, Cybil's
mind was vulnerable to Alessa's psychic energies for some reason, which means
she has a lot of problems in her life or has something on her record that she
doesn't find fitting of a police offcer. What darkness resides in the heart of
Cybil Bennet? For instance, Cybil's supervisors have struck a deal with the
cult and she feels guilty for it. She feels she has to enforce law and
justice, but she is forced into cooperation with the culprits (even though it
is against her will), or maybe she is in fact helping the dealers (her last
name comes from a real-life policewoman, who was a murderer). This
self-contradiction makes her suffer, dragging her deeper and deeper into
Alessa's world.
But that is not all. The more she is drawn into Alessa's world, the more she
is overcome with fear and despair. These emotions also weakened her resistance
to the Alessa's power. Cybil's mind is clinging to the remains of rationality,
but one by one they fall all around her - girls walking in the air, snow in
summer, crazy old women shouting nonsense about demons awakening. Her view of
the world comes into conflict with the surrounding reality. In the end, when
Harry meets her at the merry-go-round, she is completely under Alessa's
influence and the girl's hatred of people overcomes her. Driven by this
hatred, she attack Harry, probably seeing him as a monster. Considering what
we saw in SH3, this was the end of America's last honest cop.
--------------------------------
Cybil is a ghost?
In Cybil's scenario of Silent Hill Play Novel there is an analog of the "Bad"
ending. In it, Cybil comes to the cemetary and sees a woman dressed in white
and funeral going on. But what's more amazing is that she sees a gravestone
with the name "Cybil Bennett" (yes, double t). What were the authors trying to
hint with this ending? That Cybil was dead from the very beginning and her
consciousness is just caught up in Alessa's world? Or that Cybil has crashed
her bike after falling unconscious while driving and now we see her funeral?
Or is the whole scene just a figment of her imagination?
Unfortunately, the Play Novel was never translated and my skills at reading
Japanese are not enough to understand the text in the ending. Anyway, the
official ending of SH1 is "Good", in which Cybil dies by Harry Mason's hand.
--------------------------------
Quote: "Darkness devouring the town? Must be on drugs..."
Metaphor: "Even if you close your eyes, the fear will not go away"
Symbol: Sunglasses
Music: "Hear nothing"
Name: Her name was taken from a policewoman and murderer Lawrencia Bembenek,
and her first name from the model Sybil Buck and the action-movie star Sybil
Danning. I want to point out that in all names starting with S the first
letter is replaced with C and nobody on Team Silent has a name beginning with
C. Is there some connection?
1-4. Michael Kaufmann
Age: 50
Occupation: Doctor
He is probably a specialist on hallucinogenic drugs and the discoverer of the
properties of White Claudia (although it was probably discovered before him by
the Indians. He may also be some great-great-great-grandson of St.Nicholas,
who may have discovered the "magical" herb). Doctor Kaufmann is a very
practical man - he immediately came in contact with the Cult, established a
profitable drug business and relaxed with his porn-magazines (see his
apartment) or tried to improve the drug by experimenting with Aglaophtis and
testing the mixtures on his guinea pig - Lisa Garland. It's difficult to say
if he truly believed in the Cult's teachings, but he surely did not expect
THAT kind of paradise ("Quit screwing around! Return things to how they were
before! Did I ask for this!? Nobody uses me! You won't get away with this!").
It is possible that he only wanted to see the birth of God out of scientific
interest, or maybe he wanted power (blackmailing God with Aglaophtis), or
maybe he didn't believe in it at all and only wanted Dahlia's money, but he
did believe in the power of Aglaophtis. No matter which one of these
statements is true, Dahlia knew that Kaufmann did not expect an Apocalypse and
thus cannot be trusted.
The first meeting with Kaufmann occurs in the Alchemilla Hospital, where
Alessa's influence is the strongest. He's examining a bird corpse, probably
being interested in it out of scientific curiosity - "Have you ever seen such
aberrations? Ever heard of such things? You and I both know creatures like
that don't exist!" But, even though he relies on his intelligence, Kaufmann
still doubts his own sanity - "Did you see those monsters?" - he asks Mason
trying to make sure he is not the only one who sees those creatures.
One interesting fact is that when he first sees Harry, he shoots him. It may
be that he was so nervous that he shot at the first moving object he saw, but
he may have perceived Harry as a monster at first. Another interesting fact -
Kaufmann says: "A military rescue squad should be here anytime now" and Cybil
mentioned calling reinforcements. That could mean that somewhere between the
beginning of the game and the meeting with Kaufmann in Annie's Bar Cybil met
with him and told him about those "reinforcements". I ask: why would a police
officer meet with a drug-dealing doctor?
Quote: Something's gone seriously wrong. Did you see those monsters? Have you
ever seen such aberrations? Ever even heard of such things? You and I both
know creatures like that don't exist.
Metaphor: Insanity is the only prize in a twisted mind's game.
Symbol: PTV
Name: His name is a combination of two not very famous movie directors Lloyd
Kaufmann and Michael Hertz. Personally, I [SilentPyramid] don't see any hidden
meanings here. The authors probably used this name to emphasize the doctor's
european heritage.
1-5. Lisa Garland
In SH4 we learn that the Garlands own a small pet shop in Ashfield. This
suggests that Lisa was born and spent her childhood in Ashfield. Her caring
nature tells us that she must've spent a lot of time tending to pets in her
father's store. Considering all this, she would find a nurse job most suitable
for herself. Alessa was a shock for the young woman - it was the first time in
her life she encountered Absolute Pain, constant agony. It can be said, that
Alessa died time and time again, but could not really die. ("Still has an
unusually high fever... Eyes don't open... getting a pulse. But just barely
breathing. Why! What is keeping that child alive?") Lisa's kind and caring
nature actually decided her sad fate. Being close to Alessa all the time, Lisa
saw her suffering and was affected by it. She and Alessa developed a kind of
psychic link - Lisa "absorbed" some part of the girl's pain. After a time, she
even started to see her alternate reality (the drug Kaufmann has been giving
her also contributed to the alteration effect). And what she saw horrified
her. All this can be read in her diary ("The room is filled with insects. Even
with doors and windows shut they get in to spite me. To the Hospital...
Feeling bad. Need to throw up. But nothing comes out. Vomiting only bile.
Blood and pus flow from the bathroom faucet. I try to stop it, but it won't
turn off. Need drug. Help me... "). After first seeing the Otherworld, she
wanted to leave Alchemilla, but Kaufmann stopped her (see SH1 intro). He saw
that the drug had worked and Lisa's perception of the Otherworld sharpened.
Obsessed with making an even more effective version of the drug, he could not
allow his test subject to leave. His work resulted in the creation of a new
drug - PTV.
Also, he discovered the "wondrous" effects of Aglaophtis, a drug that allowed
to remove one's consciousness from the Alessa's alternate reality (see Part 2
15-2). Kaufmann tested both drugs on Lisa (gave her PTV and, after some time,
Aglaophtis). But, being always close to Alessa, she quickly always succumbed
to her influence again. But this experiment could not go on forever. Every
time he sent her to Alessa's world, Kaufmann checked how long she could stay
alive in there. Finally, Lisa gave in and her consciousness became trapped in
Alessa's world, while her physical body died (or was killed by Kaufmann to
check the "Power of Heaven" theory). And so, one day Lisa could not leave
Alessa's world and stayed there forever, not realizing her own death (just
like St.Nicholas and Walter's victims). We can see that Lisa is trying to
forget the suffering she saw and felt when she was with Alessa, she tries to
hide from her death (in her wish to forget she is similar to James). The
player first meets Lisa in the Otherworld hospital (by the way, we ONLY see
her in the Otherworld). By that time she's completely forgotten about the
experiment and Alessa.
Harry: Do you know anything about all that weird stuff in
the basement?
Lisa: No. Why? Is there something down there?
Harry: You don't know?
Lisa: We're under strict orders never to enter the basement
storeroom. So, I really don't know.
The last meeting with Lisa obviously has a lot of symbolic value. By that time
Lisa has already realized that she is inside an endless nightmare. She may
have thought that all her friends and collegues started to see others as
monsters and killed each other (thus trapping themselves in Alessa's world).
Lisa is afraid of dying - she comes to Harry for protection: "Stay by me,
Harry! Please! I'm so scared! Help me! Save me from them! Please... Harry..."
- she thinks he will help her, but she is mistaken. Mason cannot understand
her and when she says "I'm the same as them" he cannot perceive her as a human
anymore - she becomes a monster for him. Lisa DOES NOT MUTATE - she is just a
consciousness (psychic energy) trapped in a closed cycle. And when Lisa
realizes this and accepts her death, her self-perception changes as does her
role in Alessa's world. All her life Lisa relied on other people, thinking
that if she is good to others, they would be good to her. But Kaufmann used
her, and Harry abandoned her in the hardest moment. The image of Lisa Garland
in SH1 is a symbol of kindness, understanding and altruism. It is unknown what
fate befell Lisa after SH1, but in SH3, when Heather is climbing the ladder in
the Alternate Brookhaven Hospital we can see the ravaged body of a nurse on
the railing. Is it Lisa still suffering in Alessa's Otherworld, or is it just
another Nurse - a monster of Alessa? I think the authors intended this for the
player to decide. In the good and good+ endings we see can see Lisa one last
time - she drags Kaufmann away. Depending on your understanding of her image
you can think that she either forgives and saves him, or drags him into Alessa
world to make him suffer as he did her.
Quote: "I get it now. Why I'm still alive, even though everyone else is dead.
I'm not the only one who's still walking around. I'm the same as them. I just
hadn't noticed it before."
Metaphor: A shining light in the endless dark
Symbol: bloody tears
Music: "Not Tomorrow 1", "Tears of ..."
Name: The name Lisa is taken from the movie "Sanguelia" - it was the name of
the actress, who played a murderous nurse in the movie. Garland was taken from
Judy Garland, who played the main character in "The Wizard of Oz" - a little
girl lost in a magical country - very symbolic.
1-6. Dahlia Gillespie
Age - 46
Occuaption: leader of the Cult. Maybe the owner the fortune teller tent in LSAP
Dahlia is an expert on the occult. SHe owns the antique store "Green Lion".
Also, she cooperated with Kaufmann on the matters of keeping Alessa in
Alchemilla Hospital and selling PTV.
It is important to note, that Dahlia was not an ordinary member of the cult.
There is no evidence that she actually believed in the cult teaching. As we
know - Dahlia is an occult genius, but we will never hear Cult-related words
like "Holy Assumption", "21 Sacraments", "Holy Mother", "Lord of Serpents and
Reeds" etc. Nothing about the SH religion. Instead, she talks a lot about
Tarot, magical artifacts, metioned in Kabbalah, demons and so on. Thus we see
that Dahlia did not spend all her life in Silent Hill and most likely she came
to that town from Europe (where such things are much more popular than in the
US. Plus, her last name is clearly of non-american origin) when she was 20-30
years. By the time of SH1, she is 46 years old, so it is possible that she
witnessed the horrors of the World War (notice her scar - is it from the War
or did her parents abuse her?) and this global massacre influenced the young
Dahlia Gillespie heavily. She believed that life can bring only suffering,
while death is a release. Because of this, she gained an interest in black
magic, hoping to trigger an Apocalypse and free humanity from the chains of
life. Then she moved from Europe to the USA (reason is unknown. Could she have
done something at home?). Settling in Silent Hill, she found herself a new
thing to do - she learned of the peculiar local religion. In her mind this
religion mixed with her knowledge of black magic, creating a very explosive
mixture. She joined forces with Leonard Wolf, whose view of this world
appealed to her, and their influence in the Cult quickly grew, until she
became its leader. Despite all her childish beliefs, Dahlia was the only one
in SH1 who really knew what's going on and understood the meaning of magical
signs and items (because she was the one who taught these meanings to Alessa).
Dahlia knew everything - the power of Aglaophtis (although she didn't know
that using the herb in Alessa's world would have such a surprising effect),
the coming of Harry Mason, HOW to summon God, the power and meaning of signs
etc. This knowledge gives her enormous power - she easily manipultes Mason to
fit her goals, playing with his mind all for the length of the game. An
interesting point: Dahlia call the God Samael: "It is The Mark of Samael.
Don't let it be completed." - and we know that it was the name given to it by
enemies of the Cult. She also meets Harry in a Christian church on purpose -
to mislead him and present herself as an ally. She truly believed in God's
birth and devoted (or sacrificed) her and even her daughter's life to it
(well, after reading the article about the Hope House we can suscpect that
there was a whole school for godmothers). It's hard to say if she understood
WHAT she did with her child - I doubt that she cared about Alessa's feelings.
She probably thought: She MUST understand that I do it all for the the coming
of Lord Samael. Dahlia must've known that her "God" is not a big good guy who
would bring happiness to the whole world - why then would she think that
Aglaophtis, that affects evil spirits, would hurt him. Dahlia wanted to become
the forger of history, to change the world and bring "Salvation", using the
evil Demon. She says: "MY daughter will be the mother of GOD!". This could
mean that she is not interested in power, like Kaufmann. Even when she burns
in Samael's flames, Dahlia is happy. Her beloved God finally granted her
Salvation. Although she did not understand salvation in the traditional sense,
like Claudia did ("The time is nigh! Everyone will be released from pain and
suffering! Our salvation is at hand! This is the day of reckoning, when all
our sorrows will be washed away! When we return to the true paradise!"). These
words bring images of everyone dying. Destroying the world is an interesting
way to leave a trace in history. In her last moments, Dahlia laughs. God has
been born and her dream will finally come true - the world that will be
devoured by the flames of Apocalypse will forever remember Dahlia Gillespie
and her daughter Alessa as those, who have changed its face forever. But Harry
killed God and in SH3 nobody remembers Dahlia. Only Vincent mentions "this
crazy old hag" (but now that Vincent, Claudia and Leonard are dead there is
nobody in the Cult to remember her name). There's a deep meaning in the fact
that despite all her struggles the only person to remember her was the one she
cared about least - Alessa.
Quote: "The time is nigh! Everyone will be released from pain and suffering!
Our salvation is at hand! This is the day of reckoning, when all our sorrows
will be washed away! When we return to the true paradise!"
Metaphor: To let the darkness into your heart you must sever all the ties to
the light of this life.
Symbol: "The High Priestess" Tarot card.
Music: "I'll kill you", "Over", "Claw Finger".
Name: Named after Dario Argento's ex-wife. Also, her name is reference to
Black Dahlia. Quite an interesting line - Black Dahlia, White Claudia, Pink
Heather.
1-7 Alessa Gillespie
Age - 14
Social Status - Victim of fire
Dahlia Gillespie's daughter, along with the other children, was brought up
with the birthing of God in mind (that was the only reason for her to exist
from the point of view of the cult members). At this time child abuse was
wide-spread in the Cult (remember Walter Sullivan?) - it was probably Dahlia's
idea, which was actively supported by her lapdog - Leonard Wolf. They knew
that God could be born only from pain and suffering. Maybe some members of the
Cult did not like this idea, but Andrew DeSalvo (the warden and guard of the
Water Prison) and Leonard (Claudia's father) quickly began to bring Dahlia's
ideas to reality (Vincent about Leonard: "The memories of his cruelty are
forever burned into my mind"). Of course, thanks to her mother, Alessa wasn't
quite the cheerful kid ("It's a picture of me when I was 7. I look bored and
sad. Well, of course I do. I was always like that back then" - says Heather
about her past life), she closed off from the world and immersed herself in
books and fairy tales. So, when she went to school, her classmates also abused
her (Scratched on her table are words: "Thief. Go home. Drop dead."),
unknowingly helping Dahlia achieve her goals. The surrounding world brought
the girl only suffering. She quickly became fearful of people, alienated,
short-tempered. She hated people. This reality became intolerable and her mind
found only one suitable solution - to create a new world. A world, where there
is no place for the evil humans. They were replaced by monsters, whom Alessa
liked so much more (see her drawings). And thus, she created a sanctuary for
herself, her own Paradise, her Lost World (it was her favorite book, as we
learned from SH3). But because of all the sufferings in her life, Alessa could
not imagine a world completely without pain, so the world, as we all know it,
is quite sick-looking. At this time, Dahlia was waiting for God to appear, but
her patience grew thin (she was 39 then - maybe she feared not living to see
the birth of God). Finally, she decided to take matters to the extreme - she
tried to burn Alessa (see Part 2 14-3) to create a hatred for everyone, even
Alessa's own mother - in this agony, God should have been born. But despite
all this, Alessa still love her mother ("Mommy, I just want to be with you").
Because of this, God was not born - Alessa's essence split into two parts: one
forgave her mother (Cheryl), another hated her mother. Because of this split,
the "Incubus" could not achieve full power. The part that forgave Dahlia was
picked up by Harry and raised with love. Cheryl is a symbol of happines, and
Alessa represents eternal suffering, lonely soul in the world of endless pain.
All this time, Alessa time and time again experienced death, but this death
did not end the suffering. Real death became her only dream and desire - a
normal death that would end her pain ("It would be better for "myself" to die.
After all, it's nothing to be afraid of"). But her wish was not granted.
Respectively, Alessa is symbol of pain and suffering.
Anyway, Alessa's body held only half of her soul so, her mental energy wasn't
strong enough to bring "Paradise" to the world (or swallow the entire town in
darkness). Other half of her personality, memories and power was buried in the
dark depths of Cheryl's subconsciousness, held at bay by Harry's love But when
she got to Silent Hill (see Part 3 1-2) Alessa began to awaken in her and the
two halves of one soul began to merge. This triggered an increase in Alessa's
psychical influence and it began to affect more and more people. Alessa wanted
Cheryl to return to allow her to birth God and end the pain, but at the same
time Alessa did not want God to enter this world. Her motives in these are
unknown: maybe she wanted to get revenge on God for torturing her, or maybe
she did not want Harry to lose his daughter and die himself (and he would've
died undoubtedly had God been born). Finally, Alessa decided to resist God
with all her strength. She was well-versed in the Cult teachings and occult
magics and knew how to destroy Samael - use the Seal of Metatron. Also, she
helps Harry because after the girls reunited Alessa received all the good
memories of Cheryl, but the suffering half of the soul was clearly dominant in
her. As proof of this, in the bad ending the first thing Saint Alessa does is
kill Dahlia with a lightning bolt. But Dahlia foresaw everything and used her
father against her by giving him the Flauros, destroying Alessa's will to
fight. Despite this, the Seal of Metatron was still spread and Alessa's God
was born weakened (plus Alessa believed in the power of Aglaophtis as did
Kaufmann) and Harry Mason managed to defeat the horrible God. After this,
Alessa appears once again and gives Harry her reincarnated self - Heather (who
still holds Alessa's consciousness deep inside her). Will she be able to find
her happiness in this new life and forget the pain? Or will these dark
memories come back to haunt her, dooming her to continue this cycle of pain
and hatred?
The answer is found in SH3...
Metaphor: "Oh the sweet sugar saves me, it's the room that confines me".
Symbol: Wheelchair
Music: "Ain't gonna rain" or "Far"
Name: She was originally to be named Asia after the daughter of the
aforementioned Argento, but was finally named Alessa. IMO, this name is
derived from Carrol's "Alice in Wonderland" (in many languages the spelling of
her name was close to "Alessa". For example - in Japanese "Alice" and "Alessa"
are pronounced like "Areesa" and "Aresa"). Just like Alice, Alessa is drawn
into the world of her subconscious. What's interesting is the fact that
despite it being wide-spread, this book is not recommended for children of
early age by some psychologists because it supposedly distorts the world so
much that it could make the child perceive the world inadequately which could
result in mild schizophrenia. At least that's what my psychology professor
told me - he's obviously never seen the Dog ending of SH2.
1-8. Character rationality pattern in SH1 (compositional analysis)
As we know, one of the main ideas presented in SH1 is the problem of
rationality and human ability to discern between illusion and reality and the
resulting conflict of the surrounding world and the protagonist's mind.
Naturally, to best describe it, the author presented us with a "rationality
pattern" - the characters. Let's try to look at it closely:
a) The first side of the pattern is Cybil. She believes in nothing but law and
order. She relies on common sense and supports others, whom she has to "serve
and protect". Cybil does not believe that things like magic exist ("Darkness
devouring the town? Must be on drugs") - even when she has to face them
herself, she prefers to close it off and act like nothing extraordinary is
happening. But as we can see, not believing is not enough.
b) Next is Michel Kaufmann - he can accept all the mystical mumbo-jumbo (he's
even read Dahlia's occult books), but he still believes that the human mind
shall triumph over anything. It would be more correct to say, that he
perceives black magic only as a product of a human mind's concentrated effort.
Despite this, he made at least three mistakes: about the rescue squad, about
Lisa and about Aglaophtis. This is showing that you cannot survive on logic in
the chaos and darkness of a tortured soul.
c) Lisa Garland knows compassion and thus can believe. She believes in the
alternate reality, but sees it as a completely independent world that can
bring only suffering to those inside it. She cannot accept it, accept the pain
it hold - wether it's her pain or somebody else's. Lisa wants to get out, but
instead of searching for the way out in herself, she comes to others for it.
d) Harry Mason's last hope is his daughter - Cheryl. Without her the world
would become an endless pain for the writer. He doesn't care where he is if
she's not with him. He has nowhere to run so he can only wander inside this
nightmare, searching for hope, or live in his own nightmare for the rest of
his life.
e) Dahlia Gillespie was devoted to God. Could she have even thought that all
her sacrifices were in vain? She believed, no, she KNEW that God would be
born, that it would be her chance to change the world, to become the angel of
Apocalypse. Her faith was the power that allowed her to leave everyday life
behind and concentrate on achieving her goal.
f) The second side of the pattern is Alessa - she couldn't stand the real
world and preferred to forget about it, creating her own world and believing
that it's real. It would seem that placing both Cybil and Alessa is
inappropriate, but they both accept only one reality - one that is easier for
them to comprehend and exist in.
1-9. Andy.
Age: 7
Occupation: Elementary School Student.
Andy was neighbor of the Masons. Through his bedroom's window he often saw
Cheryl going to school. He obviously liked her (otherwise, he wouldn't be in
the story - Translator's Note), but was too shy and couldn't say a word to her.
Weird things started to happen - he saw a 14 year old girl in a school uniform
- Alessa. Her psychological energies have begun to surface and the Masons'
neighbor saw her projection. It is unknown what drew him to do this, but just
before the Masons leave, Andy hides in their car. Does he know where he's
going? Anyway, on the way to Silent Hill, Harry gets into an accident.
Andy comes to in Silent Hill. The fog is unusually thick, the streets are
seemingly devoid of life, the roads are collapsed in many places... What
happened to the town? What of Andy?
Whoops. Yeah, too bad. Looks like we'll never know that, because the
adiitional scenario "The Boy" was part of the Silent Hill Play Novel, which,
due to its low ratings in Japan, was closed. I don't even know where to get
this scenario now (even in Japanese), so the Andy's fate is up to your
imagination.
In addition, I can say that there's some sort of connection between Andy and
the red doll in Cybil's scenario.
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
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2. CHARACTERS OF SILENT HILL 2
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
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2-1. James Sunderland.
Age: 29
Occupation: Clerk
James lost his wife three years ago - this is when his life lost its meaning
and became an endless nightmare. Three long years, which Mary spent in
St.Jerome's Hospital, while James kept an uneasy balance between hope and
despair, still believeing, that his wife could be saved, but becoming more and
more convinced that it is impossible. He wanted to help her somehow - read
medical literature, but with little results ("I've already read enough medical
books. None of them ever did any good"). Mary's disease was slowly killing
them both. Like two prisoners, sentenced to death, they waited for the end.
James was tired, he just wanted to end the torture so that the painful wait
caused them no more suffering.
Around a week before the events of SH2 Mary returned home to her husband - not
because she was better, she knew that her death is near and it may be her last
chance to see James. She wanted to visit Silent Hill for the last time, but
her condition was getting worse and worse, the three years given to her were
running out - she may have not survived the ride.
Thus she spent several days with James, slowly dying before his own eyes.
And one day, James made the final decision: he put a pillow over her face and
held it until she died. "Here's a lullaby to close your eyes...Goodbye." Rest
in peace, Mary, and let all your dreams be good. Dreams of Silent Hill.
Now the only thing left to do is to fulfill her last wish - to take her body
to the town of their memories ("The real reason I came to this town. I wonder
what was I afraid of? Without you, Mary, I've got nothing" . James hid Mary's
body in the car trunk... (Lost Memories gives a clear hint at that)
And then the sum of everything that has been pressing on him for so long
finally broke him. He couldn't take it anymore and fell into a trance-like
state... His life did end that day. He had no strength left to live and no
strength left to die.
After Mary's death, James couldn't live anymore, but he was too weak too die.
He has lost his will and reason to live. In a sense, he is a walking corpse.
He cannot move forward, thus always returning to the events of the past and
his happines, every time suffering from realizing that he will never have it
again. In his mind, James tries different ways of coming through it ("What
would happen if I did a different thing then?" "What if eveything went
different back then?") and all these versions lay down deep in his
subconscious, forming a complex web of thoughts, emotions and memories. And,
like a spider, James returns to this web time and time again, trying each
thread. This brings him great pain, but he wants this pain, because it is the
only feeling left for him to remind him that he exists. But human memory is
not infinte - it tends to remove or refuse to accept those events that bring
it pain (people that remember WW2 as "good times" - they prefer not to
remember the negative things or portray them as good). And thus, removing
himself from reality, James becomes trapped in his "web". He remakes true
statements in his own favor and accepts them as reality, creating his own
world of false memories. I tried to show the metamorphoses of James' thinking
as one gradually changing statement.
This happened very quickly... Maybe it took several hours, maybe several
days... A thought can encompass millenia in a second. But when James came to,
he was already hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of his own delusions. Unable
to find accept the truth, he convinced himself that his wife died three years
ago. Died from the disease, and it's not his fault. But he wanted her to be
alive... he wanted to be with her. And then he received a letter from Silent
Hill. A letter from Mary.
"In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill. You promised me you'd
take me there again someday. But you never did. Well, I'm alone there now...
In our "special place" Waiting for you..."
----------------------------
a) The letter
Obviously, the letter was not real - it was just another delusion. Notice that
towards the end of the game the text disappears. But... was it only James'
imagination? Why is it so similar to what Mary wrote in the hospital? It could
be just a coincidence, but I have a different explanation for that.
As we know, one is more susceptible to psychic influence when he\she is
suffering from a psychological trauma or the mind is in disarray. When James
killed his wife, he fell into a state similar to a trance and fell under the
influence of Mary's thoughts and memories, that continued to exist even after
her death. It may very well be that the letter was a combination of James'
delusions and Mary's memories. See 2-5.
----------------------------
Could Mary still be alive? Is she really waiting for him in Silent Hill. No,
this cannot be true... But what good is truth, if it destroys happiness, ruins
life and leaves no place for hope? This letter is James' last hope - and he
sets out to the foggy town of memories.
-----------------------
b) The toilet scene.
And so, we find James on the south-eastern outskirts of Silent Hill. He is
looking into a mirror - maybe he is trying to look deper into his soul? Trying
to determine what is real and what is not... For now he sees only the
reflection of his body, but soon he will find himself on the other side of the
mirror - in the world of his subconscious, where his nature will show itself.
In his 29 James looks much older - he is tired of life. Mary's disease really
drained the life from the both. But with her death life did not return to
James...
----------------------
James came to Silent Hill, which means that he at least WANTS TO BELIEVE that
Mary is alive (He was left with either that or "In water" - "I'm going to find
Mary..... It's the only thing I have left to hope for". We all understand WHAT
James would do if it turned out there was no hope for him), but there is still
the delusion, that his wife died three years ago ("Mary died of that damn
disease three years ago").
Also, it's worthy of note that he enters Silent Hill from the side, where the
cemetary is (just don't tell me he came to this part only because there was
toilet %))) ). That means he believed that Mary was buried in the Silent Hill
cemetary - in the "sacred place".
And he goes to the cemetary. He walks the forest path through the fog. The
path is so long, that it is impossible to turn back ("It's so long you don't
feel like turning back", as creators tell us in "Making of Silent Hill 2"
video). Fear takes root in his soul and even the sound of his own footsteps
seems like terrible sounds, made by unseen forest beasts.
But what does he find in the cemetary? There is no grave marked "Mary
Sunderland". But he meets a strange girl, who is looking for her mother. She
warns James, that there is something wrong and dangerous about Silent Hill.
But James can't give up. There is no turning back. All he has can do is keep
looking for Mary in the fog of his own soul. Where will this road lead him?
Will he be able to find the truth and accept it?
We all know it from the game: after coming to Silent Hill, James find himself
in the flux of the "White Noiz" - the constantly overlapping subconscious
worlds of many people - he can see other people's thought, but mostly, of
course, his own world prevails - the world of his hopes, desires... and fears.
A world of darkness, in the bowels of which lies the Ultimate Truth, carefully
hidden by delusions.
---------------------------------
ñ) The Light of Hope
After receiving the letter, James gains Hope - a great, unstoppable power,
that propels him forward. Following this paranoid Hope, James descends deeper
into the nightmare.
Remember how Henry Townshend, the prisoner of Room 302, uses his last Hope -
the HOLE and crawls through it towards the light at the end of the tunnel,
unable to turn back. And now remember James, rowing his boat in the fog,
towards the distant beacon of the hotel, where his dead wife is waiting. Also,
remember room 205 of WSA - the mannequin is dressed in Mary's clothes and the
flashlight is blinding to James' eyes. The metaphor is obvious - "the blinding
Light of Hope".
And what do we see? Henry, following the faint hope of getting out of the
Room, finds himself in an even more horrible prison - the subconscious world
of Walter Sullivan where he has to fight for his life to find the Ultimate
Truth. And Sunderland, searching for his dead Mary, descends deeper and deeper
into the world of his own delusions, where the truth he has been hiding from
awaits.
d) Eros and Thanatos
According to Sigmund Freud's theories, two basic instincts exist in every
person - "the life instinct" (libido, Eros) and "the death instinct" (mortido,
Thanatos). The two polar powers are the unconscious desires of man and are
supposed to determine the whole life of a person. Seeing as how Team Silent
said that they used this theory in making Silent Hill 2, let us look at the
Eros and Thanatos of the protagonist:
--- The first side. Felicitative. An infantile, egoistical side, that wants
happiness. But this happiness is characterised by nostalgia. It is like a
small child: a child has a toy, which he is not interested - it's lying around
and he doesn't care. But TAKE IT AWAY and he will cry, turn away from all
other toys and will demand to give this toy (which he didn't care about until
now) back - his whole world will spin around this toy. But give it back and he
will play with it for a while and leave it lying around again. James
relationship with Mary is similar to that.
But that is not all. Eros is does not represent only the instinct to live and
be happy, but also sexual instincts, which are bound to life. And these
instincts play a major role in the creation of Maria. So, Maria is basically
the manifestation of James' libido.
--- The destructive side. It knows of the egoism of the other side and wishes
to punish it by inflicting pain. These two sides are meant to be able to
co-exist at least to some degree, but there's a twist. When James is happy,
the destructive side gains power and tries to fight this happiness. When James
is unhappy, the felecitative side becomes stronger and goes to lengths to get
the happiness back. Thus, James is doomed to be forever trapped between these
two extremes. I think that because of his masochism James actually wasn't
happy with Mary in the full sense of the word "happy". ("he doesn't laugh
much" - Mary writes about her husband. Was he always grim or only when she
fell sick?). James' constant doubts prevented him from being happy. His trail
of thoughts was something like that: "Right now I'm happy - I have a loving
wife, a good job. I have achieved my happiness. But do I deserve it? Maybe I
deserve suffering?". Or something like that (I suppose not so many of you have
noticed the similarity between James and the characters of the famous Japanese
writer Yukio Mishima). James just couldn't live in the present... That's why
when Mary died he wasn't able to start a new life, he couldn't find a new goal
to pursue in life and started to drown in his sorrow and memories. It was his
false world that gave him these goals, gave him Hope. Or rather, an illusion
of Hope ("I wanted to see you. Even an illusion of you... That's why I came
here" - he says in the "Maria" ending).
James' subconscious world is built around these two instincts. His two
greatest desires - to find happiness and to punish himself for his sins -
nurture this world with psychic energy. Each of these instinct has found a
material representation - these are Maria and PyramidHead.
e) Maria.
The long three years went on. Three painful years. James was tired, tired of
waiting, tired of hoping - he already knew, that Mary was lost to him, that
his happiness will die with her.
Suffering, despair, loneliness... "And that’s why you needed this “Maria”
person?" James needed someone, who would be close to him, who would support
him, someone to replace Mary for him. And then, he created a new Mary for
himself - a perfect woman, who would fulfill all his dreams and give back his
lost happiness.
So, how would a "girl of his dreams" look? She must look like Mary, of course,
but be much more open ("I can be yours..." - "Don’t you want to touch me? Come
and get me "), always cheerful and kind ("And I’ll never yell at you or make
you feel bad."). For some reason, James associated the image of a perfect
woman with a certain strip dancer from the bar Heaven's Night - "Lady Maria".
Thus, her name. I should note, that James still loved Mary, so his image of a
"dream girl" was highly affected by the image of his wife. She must be a
blonde, because, according to some stereotypes "Don’t you think blondes have
more fun?". Red and pink colors prevail in Maria's clothing - this is
obviously the result of his frequent visits to Heaven's Night.
For these three years, James dreamt of this perfect woman, his wife dying from
the disease. And, after some time, this image took root in his subconscious
world and became part of it.
f) Between Mary and Maria
There are actually two sides of James' Eros presented in the game:
One side knows, that without Mary James cannot be happy and wishes her return
by any means ("I want her back! Give her back to me!"). The desire to come
back to happiness by coming back to the "good times", i.e. James wants that
very same Mary who was with him 3 years ago - even dressed the same (remember
the mannequin in 205?).
The other side doesn't want to return to the past and wants to find NEW
happiness in a new life with Maria. But Maria is not real. But it doesn't
matter, because this side of James rejects the harsh reality in order to
achieve happiness. The goals justify the means. Because without happiness
there cannot be hope and without hope there cannot be life. This Eros cannot
allow.
But what will James choose? This depends on your actions through the game.
----------------------------------------
Exploring James' subconscious world we meet a strange creature with a red
pyramid on its head - the image of an executioner. His appearance is
inextricably linked with death. This is the manifestation of James' Thanatos,
which strives to force the truth into the light and punish James for the crime
he committed.
----------------------------------------
g) PyramidHead
I know that most fans believe, that PyramidHead is one of the demonic servants
of Samael, sent down to Earth to torture the poor clerk for some reason. But,
if you take one good look at the official info, you will see that it is
nowhere near true. Let us try and determine the true nature of this terrible
executioner, using facts from the games and information from Lost Memories as
a base.
3 years ago, when James was in Silent Hill, he visited the Historical Society.
where he saw the picture "Misty day, remains of the Judgement". It depicted a
cult executioner and his victims. The picture made a great impression on James
- the image of the executioner remained in his subconscious to appear three
years later as James' guilt and desire to punish himself. This was the birth
of PyramidHead.
Through the whole game PyramidHead is trying to inflict pain and even kill
him, but he does the same to Maria (Eros and Thanatos are always at odds) -
this is a way of showing, that self-punishment, when it gets out of hand, can
hurt others as well.
The pain PH inflict on James is not just physical - he also leads James to the
realization, that he killed Mary. PH forces James to see the truth he was
hiding from.
There are two PyramidHeads. This could mean that James was familiar with the
customs and traditions of Silent Hill, but there is also a theory that the
second PyramidHead is the second side of James' Thanatos, just as there were
two sides of his Eros. Also, the second PH appears only in the hotel and can
be a manifestation of James' guilt for killing Eddie. One for Eddie, one for
Mary...
---------------------------------
Searching for Mary, James makes his way to the Lakeview Hotel, the chapel of
memories, which holds his last hopes and dreams... He believes, that his
search is nearing an end and Mary is waiting in room 312.
---------------------------------
h) Truth and Hope.
James is balancing between his hope for Mary's return and the realization of
truth. On one hand, he is falling deeper and deeper into his delusions, but on
the other hand, the memories of his crime still live deep in his subcosncious,
making their presence known. Let us look at some quotes:
-- "Mary... Could you really be in this town?" - the first phrase. James is in
doubt - a letter from a dead person defies all logic.
-- "It's ridiculous, couldn't possibly be true... That's what I keep telling
myself... A dead person can't write a letter. Mary died of that damn disease
three years ago. So then why am I looking for her?" - but despite all doubts,
it is his last hope.
-- "Anyway, she's dead. I don't know why I think she's here" - James says this
to Angela. James is already starting to doubt his sanity. Well, this doubts
are not unfounded...
--"You liar! ...Last year Mary was already..." - even though he wants to
believe that Mary is alive, but can't leave the "web" of his delusions. Can't
accept that one year before SH2 Mary was still alive.
-- "Mary... What... What should I do? Are you... really waiting somewhere for
me? Or is this your way of taking... I'm going to find Mary..... It's the only
thing I have left to hope for" - James follows this last hope, because he has
nothing else left.
-- When Maria dies in the catacombs, James remember Mary "for some strange
reason". Maybe this reminded him of Mary's death?
-- "Eddie! I... I killed a... a human being... A human being... Mary... Did
you really die three years ago...?" - James emphasizes the word ''DIE". After
Eddie's death, James begins to doubt that Mary died three years ago. Maybe
something ELSE happened to her then. Or maybe he thinks "Did you DIE or did I
KILL you".
-- "So Mary couldn't have died... three years ago... Could she really be
here?" - after the conversation with Laura in the Hotel James belives, that
his wife is still alive and is waiting for him in Lakeview.
i) The Tape
Room 312 will be just another disappointment for James. Mary is not here. It
is just an empty, lonely room. And memories of James' wife, of the happy time
they had together in Silent Hill. And with them - the memory of the murder.
James realizes the truth. But with the coming of truth, hope departs. James is
once again filled with despair.
He falls on the chair before the TV. This is reminiscent of the person in
front of the TV in room 208. This man was James... After seeing that tape, he
has no reason to go on living - maybe he was supposed to kill himself then...
But again he hears Mary's voice: "James. Where are you? I'm waiting. I'm
waiting for you. Please come to me". A the faint hope returns to his ravaged
mind and he sets out to search for her again. But now he already knows the
truth and is ready to make the final decision...
---------------------------------
What will this final decision be? Will James choose to live in the world of
his delusions and be happy with Maria? Or will he sacrifice his own life to
resurrect Mary through a the ritual of the Holy Assumption? Or maybe he and
Laura leave the town together and remember Mary forever. Or James won't be
able to live without Mary and will give in to his Thanatos ("Angels Thanatos"
after the In water ending), joining his wife in a deep dream.
All we know is that James never returned from Silent Hill...
Quote: "Mary died of that damn disease three years ago... So then why am I
looking for her? "
Metaphor: "Trapped in a cage of delusions"
Symbol: Cage
Music: "True","Prisonic Fairytale", "Angels Thanatos".
Name: According to LM, the first name was taken from one of the men, who was
suspected of being Jack the Ripper (probably to emphasize the paranoid and, I
dare say, maniacal sides of James' personality).
The last name is more interesting, though. There theories concerning it:
a) Sunderland - derived from "Sun". The sun is a symbol of Hope, goals and
happiness. If we interprent "Sunderland" as "Sun above the land", it can be
seen as symbol of inability to achieve all these thing on in our world.
b) Sunderland - derived from the German "sunder" - "sinner". The connection is
obvious, I think.
c) It is also worthy of noting that in the state of Massachusetts, where
Ashfield is located, one can find two towns - Townshend and Sunderland. Maybe
it was a way of showing how the characters are linked to towns?
Now, if we look at all three points and try to combine them, we'll get
something like that: "A sinner, hiding from the truth for a desire to find
happiness in memories".
2-2. Angela Orosco
Age - 19
Social Status - Runaway Student
We first meet Angela at the cemetary - she is examining a gravestone. By her
looks, one wouldn't say she's 19 and she doesn't sound young. She feels that
the there is some sort of danger in the town and is scared. James' sudden
arrival scares her even more ("I, I’m sorry...I, I... I was just...."). She
talks like a small girl that did something bad talks with her father...
She is looking for her mother ("I'm looking for my mama..."). In this she is
similar to James - Angela also starts her search from the cemetary. From this
we can assume that her mother is DEAD, as are her father and brother. Further
in the game we see her searching in the following places:
1) Blue creek apartment, Room 109.
2) Halfway between the Historical Society and the Meat Factory.
3) LakeView Hotel.
This means that Angela didn't even know where exactly her mother lived.
Actually, even the existence of this "mother" is yet to be proven. What if she
is only a part of the Angela's "web"? What if Angela's mother died at birth or
not long after? What if Angelf was an orphan adopted by Thomas? Still, there
she DID have a mother, which is stated by the photo found in Blue Creek. It is
torn into two pieces - on one piece we see a woman holding a baby (Angela's
"mama" with a baby - small Angela), on the other - a man. Here's my version of
the tragedy that befell the Orosco family: At first, it was a normal happy
family - mother, father, a son and a small daughter. But then, when Angela was
still very young, her mother died (judging by how Angela's subconscious world
looks, her mother died in a fire along with her brother). Broken by the loss
of his beloved wife, Thomas Orosco started to drink, bringing suffering to
himself and his daughter (once again, a striking resemblance to James, don't
you think?). Accordingly, Angela only saw him as a drunk and agressive man.
Each day when she came back from school she probably found him lying in a pool
of his own vomit. Or away in a bar. Judjing by her lines ("You’re only after
one thing. Or you could just force me. Beat me up like he always did") we can
assume that Thomas raped her. Or at least she thinks he did. It is never
actually stated.
So, what could Angela think of his father (and, as a result, all men in
general), seeing him in this condition all the time? "You disgusting pig!!".
Although, I doubt she tried to help him somehow. She was too weak for that and
needed someone to love her too ("Will you love me? Take care of me?").
Angela couldn't take this life anymore. She hated her drunkard father... She
even tried to run away from home (obviously, she didn't consider what would
happen to him in that case), but Thomas stopped her. He didn't want his
daughter to leave - he found her and forced her to come home. Maybe he even
loved her, she was his last close person after all... He just couldn't deal
with his own pain and Angela was unable to understand and help him. It was
probably then that she killed him with a knife. The Orosco family may have
lived in room 109 of WSA and it was the place where Angela got that knife. Or
the knife in the game couldn've been an illusion altogether.
After doing such a terrible thing Angela decided to leave the town to forget
what happened. She had no friends or relatives and was left alone. We don't
know anything about her brother - he probably died along with her mother in
that fire. She was left with only memories of her happy childhood. She spent
her time thinking about her kind, loving mother (even though she might not
have been like that) and how everything would be good if they lived apart from
Thomas (this is signified by the torn photo). After her mama died, life
brought Angela only suffering... She was tired from the pain and wanted to end
the suffering. But can she heal her pain alone and attempt to find happiness?
No... "It's easier just to run. Besides, it's what we deserve." She is too
tired to seek happiness, she can't live on, she doesn't even have hope... She
just wants to run away again. Run away from life. Run away to where her mama
is.
-------------------
a) Angel Thanatos
In the course of the game we see Angela display a strange interest in death.
She is so tired of life's sufferings, that thoughts of suicide, which could
end them, please her. We find Angela in room 109 of WSA with a bloody knife in
hand, lying in front of a mirror. She is pondering suicide. Why is there such
a big mirror in the room? It is part of Angela's subconscious world. She
wanted to see her own death and enjoy it to the maximum.
If we look at her other appearances we'll see that all of them are somehow
linked with death:
---Cemetary - no comments. If you don't understand the connection between
death and cemetaries, I don't know why you're reading this anyway.
---Room 109 of WSA - an illustration of Angela's suicidal tendencies.
---The Labyrinth - Angela is in danger, but all she does is cower in the
corner and seemingly accepts the inevitable death. But James KILLS, the
monster, saving Angela.
---The burning stairwell. - we see the scene of the fire - corpses with blood
in the pelvic area on the walls (a reference to the raping when she was
young). Angela says that James shouldn't have saved her and asks him to return
the knife. Suicidal themes again.
We see that Angela's main themes are suffering, death and suicide. Angela is
sort of a martyr, obsessed with death - the "Angel Thanatos".
-------------------
A short time after killing her father, Angela's mind collapses from the stress
and she becomes lost in the labyrinth of delusions. That is when Silent Hill
"calls" her. She starts to believe that her mother's still alive and is
waiting for her in that town...
------------------
b) When did Angela kill her father?
In the catacombs we find a newspaper, according to which Thomas Orosco was
killed between 23:00 and 00:30 - that was probably when he found his daughter
and tried to bring her back home. Now, in the next part of the hallway there
are also newspapers and one of them has today's date ("Newspapers are
scattered all over the walls and floor. There seems to be nothing of interest.
But this one has today's date... That's kind of strange"). Could that mean
that the above mentioned paper had been published a few days before the events
of SH2?
Quoting LM: "From the article in the bloodstained newspaper, the conclusion
can be made that Angela was unable to bear her abuse and took her father's
life. After this incident, being in a state of emotional turmoil, it may be
that Silent Hill called out to her". So, the chain of events was something
like that: Angela runs away from home, Thomas finds her and brings her back,
she kills him and runs away again. After that she gets under the town's
influence etc. etc. Basically, what LM was trying to say is that there wasn't
a long time period between Thomas' death and the events of the game.
------------------
The main monster of Angela's subconscious world is her father. Accordingly,
she sees him everywhere. Even in James, during their second meeting (remember
WSA - she screams "No!! I’m sorry...I’ve been bad... Please don’t..." - what
did she see?).
Also, she sees her mother. Probably not the real mother she had, but the image
of Angela's mother from her memories... The ideal mother, of whom she dreamt
all her life. But Angela thought herself unworthy of her idealised mother's
love... The stronger, more beuatiful, kinder (etc. etc.) she imagined her to
be, the more miserable she saw herself. And, obviously, if Angela thinks
herself unworthy of love, so does the ideal mother in her world... "Even Mama
said it... I deserved what happened... Don't pity me... I don't worth it".
Angela sees Silent Hill as engulfed in flames. This reflects her wish to join
her ideal mother by dying in fire just like she did (yes, it is a reference to
her death). Also, the fire represents Angela's unending pain - the fires of
Hell, lit up by her alone. Sunderland sees it on the stairwell in the hotel
(at this point Angela's energy is so strong that it can suck other minds into
her world). Angela found what no one else could - the one way to defeat the
God inside you. She is tired of her pain and asks James if they could start a
new life together ("Or maybe you think you can save me? Will you love me? Take
care of me? Heal all my pain?"), leave this place of lost memories and
restless dreams, stop following the illusion of Hope (it could've been a
verison of the "Leave" ending with Angela instead of Laura). Together they
could support each other, heal the pain and free themselves of the suffering,
but James is too weak for this. Angela offers him another solution - to run
away from this cruel world, to commit suicide ("Give me back that knife" and
end the suffering. By giving her back the knife, James could release her from
all this pain - just like he did Mary. But, the memories of what he did to
Mary stop him from doing so, forcing Angela to continue this endless psiral of
death and dooming her to live in this nightmare. Maybe James wanted to keep
the knife to kill himself? No, he was too blinded by his hope to see the
truth. And he doesn't WANT his pain to end. And so, he keeps the knife,
dooming Angela to further suffering...
We can only wonder what way Angela'll choose - will she find the strength to
live on, will she join her family in death, or will she stay in her world and
burn, as her God wishes her to? When she leaves it is as if the fire devours
her - could it be a sign that she crosses over to her world of pain and
suffering to exist forever? This is for you to decide.
Quote: "It’s easier just to run. Besides, it’s what we deserve. "
Metaphor: "A wingless angel in the flames of despair."
Symbol: Fire
Music: "Theme of Laura (Reprise)" , "Forest"
Name: Her name is taken from the main character of "The Net" - a movie about
the danger of advanced technologies. Also, "Angela" reminds of the the "In
water" ending with the "ANGELS Thanatos" track.
2-3. Eddie Dombrowski.
Age - 23
Occupation - Gas station employee
Eddie was hated, picked on, spit on all his life - at school, at work. His
last name is hard for an English-speaker to pronounce, he's overweight and
paleness, that doesn't fit with his complexion - from early on in life he
became the target of numerous jokes. The worst part of it was the fact that
Eddie couldn't do anything about it. Despite all the modern fuss about
"equality", Eddie is unable to do anything about his life. He doesn't have any
friends, he can't get a decent job (what employer would accept a man with such
a name?) and he has no money, which prevented him from "buying" friends. Eddie
is trapped in an endless circle of despair, punished, yet not guilty of
anything. With his passive nature, he couldn't really fight back and could
only ignore all those who made fun of him, put up with everything etc. for all
his life. I don't think he was happy with this life. The insults were even
more painful for him, because he knew that he really DID have all the flaws
that people laughed at, and he would always have them, and would always feel
the shame. But it was okay, Eddie clenched his teeth and went on - he still
had Hope in him, a hope that someday everything will change - a hope that he,
the ugly duckling, would become a graceful swan (or, at least, the other would
get tired of laughing at him. They used Eddy as an example of "really bad":
"Ha, you think I'm a gutless fatso? Just look Eddie DUMBrowski!" - or
something like that.)
Eddie had a hobby - american football. He probably wanted to be a player -
success, popularity, pretty cheerleaders [> ~~~ - Translator's note]. But
Eddie's complexion was a little... unappropriate for a sports career. Again,
his dreams have been shattered. In one of the rooms in WSA, where we meet
Eddie James' world overlaps with Eddie's. And what do we see? Lots of american
football posters and a crude, child-like drawing: a boy and girl and something
huge somewhere on the edge of the picture. It very well may be that the latter
is Eddie. This drawing is a representation of his depressed sexual interests,
which is not surprising, considering his looks.
But time passed and the anger and frustration collected in him without venting
out every so often. This created paranoia, tearing poor Eddie apart.
1. On one side we have Eddie - a good-natured guy, thrashed at by everybody,
while he shows no real resistance (Laura: "Hah! You’re just a gutless fatso!"
, Eddie: "Whadda ya have to say that for?" - he didn't shoot Laura and didn't
even try to argue with her on that). Maybe because of Eddie's passive nature
his offenders even didn't have an idea that their "jokes" were very painful
for Eddie?
2. On the other side - his inner aggression needed to be taken out - every day
in his thoughts Eddie ripped the offenders into bloody pieces and tore out
their hearts.
Think about how painful it was for him to replay this in his mind and then
suffer through another portion of insults from his neighbors, colleagues and
supervisors. It's quite understandable that one day his patience ran out -
Eddie snapped. He killed a dog ("Yeah, I killed that dog. It was fun. It tried
to chew its own guts out! Finally died all curled up in a ball" - Eddie
enjoyed the death of a living being) and shot its owner in the knee ("Then
'He' came after me, I shot him too. Right in the leg. He cried more than the
dog!"). Maybe it was the dog's owner, Eddie's boss, or just some random
citizen that made fun of him again. Basically, Dombrowski is your typical
image of an "american psycho", the hero of many new-metal songs by bands like
KoRn, SLIPKNOT and somesuch. Anyway, we know that he ran from his hometown and
came to Silent Hill to lay low and hide from the police. Really? Or maybe he
just THOUGHT that he did something terrible ("Nobody will ever forgive me" -
says Eddie, but he exaggerating the seriousness of his crime) and the police
are after him? Violent animal handling, assault and causing light injury - not
really an outrageous crime, is it? Maybe it'd even get overlooked. The most
he'd get is a fine and a couple of years in prison plus a prohibition to keep
a firearm. If he surrendered as Laura suggested ("if you did something bad,
why don’t you just say you were sorry?"), he'd get even lesser punishment.
But, "It’s easier just to run. Besides, it’s what we deserve"...
James first meets him in Room 101 of the Woodside Apartment Building, hugging
a toilet (watch CAREFULLY, in the fist few moments you can catch a slight
smile on Eddy's face). Eddie is VERY excited about the contents of the fridge
and vigorously assures James that he didn't kill anybody. But when James is
about to leave, Eddie looks like he wants to say something, but only blurts
out "James, I... I... um... You be careful too." Notice that his eyes are
looking in different directions and the pupils are moving quite quickly, as if
he is avoiding James' eyes. Also, he says he saw some "weird-looking
monsters". Let me guess... dead dogs? %)
------------------
a) Body in the fridge
In room 101 of WSA we find a body in the fridge. Eddie claims he didn't do
anything, but it seems he's not telling something... Let us look at the
possibilities:
-- Eddie's consciousness crossed over to the subconscious world, a man walked
in, Eddie saw him as a monster, killed him and put the body in the fridge (why
the fridge? Some sort of sadistic fantasy maybe... or Eddie tried to hide the
evidence of his crime), but then he went back to reality and saw WHAT he did.
-- When Eddie's consciousness crossed into the alternate, he saw a man
laughing at him and a shot him (yes, there's a box of bullets in the room) and
put the body in the fridge.
-- The corpse was originally there, which I have trouble believing.
----------------------
Eddie also sees other people as his supervisors, "friends" etc. What does
Eddie's alternate reality look like? Do you remember the room in Woodside
where you got the pistol? The walls are full of bullet holes. When Eddie came
to Silent Hill, he probably tried to hide from the police in Woodside, but the
world suddenly changed around him - he saw faces on the walls. They laughed at
him. Finally, he exploded and started to shoot at the walls and soon ran out
of ammo. He left the pistol in the room and ran to room 101, where he met his
"monster". So, while James' alternate world consists of rust, cages and
monster, that come to punish him for his sins, Eddie sees people making fun of
him. I think his world's is VERY annoying. Just think of it - Eddie's paranoid
delusion that everyone was making fun of him was his strongest feeling. And
the strongest feeling is often blown to great proportions in a dream or a
similar state. And what is an alternate world? It is basically a dream
overlapping with reality. Now try and imagine a world, where EVERYTHING makes
fun of you - the walls, the people, even the pieces of meat in the plant -
everything makes fun of you (yeah, the pieces of meat remind of Eddie, don't
they?). Yeah, one can easily go insane in such a world...
After he got better, Eddie made his way to Pete's Bowl-o-rama and meets with
Laura. She calls him a gutless fatso, but he just eats pizza. That means that
he thinks everything that happened in Woodside just some sort of bad dream (if
you look closely, you'll notice that he's eating the same piece of pizza all
the time. No appetite, Eddie? Did you do something bad?)
Despite James' advice to leave the town, Eddie walks around it without fear
(then again, James didn't listen to Angela too). Next time we meet him is
under the Historical Society, in the Toluca Prison. Eddie is so busy
reflecting on the frailty of human life, that he doesn't even notice James at
first. The corpse is real (and James once again sees it as a monster) and
there's nobody else who could've done that but Eddie. But he's hiding from the
police - then WTH is he doing in a prison? Maybe after talking to Laura, he
thought of the possibility of surrendering (which would mean he felt guilty)
and to think it over he went to the prison, which really is an exhibit in the
SHHS. But when he entered the prison, his perception shifted to the
alternative again (Eddie's and James's mental states are very unstable, which
causes their shifts from the "foggy" to the "nightmarish" world).
The last meeting in the meat factory shows that Eddie has changed. The
original Eddie was like a closed boiler - he can't let out the steam and
explodes. This Eddie looks more like a merciless butcher - the boiler has
exploded, his patience has run out completely. Now there's nowhere to store
the aggression to forget about for a while - no more good Eddie. For the first
time in his life Eddie has Power. The Power to stomp out all his fears. Now he
has his own excuses. Almost all criminals have their own twisted morality
scale, according to which their actions are highly moral. Humans need to
jusity their actions. "They treated me like garbage all my life, and they
continue to do so now! That's enough! They've been slowly killing me all this
time - I have a right for self-defence!" - this "right" (and a gun in his
hand) allow Eddie to kill anyone without doubting his actions. (For reference
read F. Dostoevsky's "Crime and punishment".) There are several corpses in the
room where James meets Eddie - he probably killed everyone (the corpses are
STILL monsters for James) thinking that they're making fun of him again. It
seems as if Eddie is taking great pleasure in killing...
---------------------
b) The sexual subtext of Eddie's actions
Agression, hatred, murder... To try and understand Eddie better, let us look
at the less obvious sides of his personality, using the basics of
psychoanalysis and criminology.
The definition of agression was first given by Sigmund Freud in 1920 when he
published his work "Beyond the pleasure principle". He defined agression as a
merging between the sexual insitinct and the instinct of death with the latter
being dominant - i.e. all agressive acts have a sexual subtext. This is
supported by the fact that, statistically, most serial murderers had sexual
disorders and\or suffered from sexual dissatisfaction. "As we know, the
greatest pleasure available to us - the pleasure of a sexual act - is the
pleasure of the instant dissipation of high arousal". But people, who are
denied this pleasure, are forced to find a "replacement". Violence is a part
of the sexual instinct, so maniacs finds sexual pleasure in killing. Put
simply, according to this theory, killing for them is like getting laid for
normal people.
Now let us observe Eddie: a defensive agression builds up inside him (seeing
how agression is a product of both the sexual and death instincts - arousal),
then he lets it out on his victims. Not even on someone, who insults him. The
dog obviously couldn't do that! Eddie needed to show others and himself his
ability to attack and the insults were just the "trigger", that released this
defensive agression. And when he lets it out, Eddie feels pleasure. His
victims were obviously shot more than once. And the dog? "Yeah, I killed that
dog. It was fun. It tried to chew its own guts out! Finally died all curled up
in a ball" - Eddie feels pleasure even from talking about it. Accordingly,
Eddie's condition after killing someone is similar to that of somebody, who
has just had sex (read: who has experienced instant dissipation of arousal).
This is most clearly seen in Toluca Prison, where Eddie is sitting in a
trance-like state, reflecting on how easy it is to take a life.
In the game, the author always mix themes of death and sexuality ("To make
like a death scene. Like somebody died, or monsters died, or if you make that
kind of scene... we tried to mix erotic essence") and the strong sexual
subtext is of course found in Eddie's actions.
-------------
James was shocked by what he saw in the plant. He didn't even think that he
too was a murderer ("Don't get all holy on me, James. This town called you,
too. You and me are the same. We're not like other people. Don't you know
that?!") . No, James clung to his own illusion of innocence. And that is why
he judges Eddie ("Eddie, have you gone nuts?... You think it's okay to kill
people! You need help, Eddie!").
But Eddie already knew the truth about James' crime ("You and me are the
same") and probably saw him killing "monsters" (remember, that Eddie sees
them as people). No wonder he was so offended by James lecturing him. This led
to their final confrontation and Eddie's death.
--------------
c) A marked heart
During the last meeting with Eddie, we can see a mark on the left side of his
chest - a circle, inside which there is another circle. With the markings in
the area between the circles, it looks kinda like the Halo of the Sun. It
could be a shooting mark, a symbol, at which James should shoot. But also it
is reminiscent of the HOLES of Walter Sullivan. Remembering the meaning of
HOLES in SH2 and SH4, this mark could be a representation of the darkness in
Eddie's heart...
---------------
Eddie learned how to destroy his fears - but with that he achieved the only
goal in his life and had no Hope left. He became a simple-minded killing
machine, while Sunderland still had to find Mary, which nurtured his Hope and
allowed him to kill Eddie. Once again we see that Hope is a terrible weapon in
human hands. But with Eddie's death James finally starts to remember. "Eddie!
I... I killed a... a human being... A human being... Mary..." - he says
thoughtfully, looking at Eddie's lifeless body.
Quote: "It doesn’t matter if your smart, dumb, ugly, pretty...it’s all the
same once you dead. And a corpse can’t laugh." (Hiroyuki Owaku said that he
wrote this line himself and it is his favorite piece of monologue in the game)
Metaphor: "Don't play around with death"
Symbol: the "Gluttonous pig" tablet
Music: "The darkness that lurks in our minds", "Ashes and Ghosts", "Noone love
you".
Name: Initially, he was supposed to be a cheerful character (a reference to
Eddie Murphy?), but soon after the creators decided to completely change his
personality (now the name is more associated with Ed Gein). The last name is
probably a twist of the word "Dumb" (so every "joker" could easily offend
Eddie by making fun of his last name) and also a way to show Eddie's
non-american heritage.
2-4. Laura. The events of Silent Hill 2 through Laura's eyes.
Age: 8 years
Social status: orphan
First, let's clear up Laura's past - LM states she has no mother ("Having no
mother of her own"), and, probably, no father. How could this come to be?
Let's see:
1) In Restless Dreams we can find photos of Laura in the hotel - this means
she stayed there at one point. Maybe she lived there with her parents.
2) Laura's name is taken from the story "No language but a cry", in which a
little girl is put on a frying pan by her parents - this inflicted not only
burns, but also a very deep psychological wound on her.
3) The Lakeveiw Hotel BURNED a year before the events of SH2.
4) And exactly 1 year before the events of SH2 Laura finds herself in
St.Jerome's Hospital.
1 year ago Laura came to Silent Hill with her parents - they stayed in the
Lakeview Hotel. Then the hotel burns down and her parents perish in the fire,
while Laura survives with burns and is taken to st. Jerome's Hospital
(Ashfield) for treatment.
There she met Mary, who'd been in there for about two years now. Ironic, how
such different people - a woman, living her last days in despair and a young
girl, hoping to find the love and happines that she never had (not unlike
Alessa and Claudia). They spent hours talking about Silent Hill ("Me and Mary
talked a lot about Silent Hill"). It was as if Mary relived the happiest
moments of her life, which helped her fight back her sorrows, while Laura
found in her the mother she lost year ago. This continued for about a year,
but, of course, such things can't go on forever. One day Mary left the
hospital ("It’s not that I’m getting better. It’s just that this may be my
last chance..."), but she was so eager to go back home to see her husband for
the last time ("I’m glad to be coming home. I’ve missed you terribly") that
she didn't even tell Laura anything and only wrote her a letter. Laura, when
she couldn't find Mary anywhere, thought that Mary got better and finally went
home (people always hope for the better). To better understand the situation,
she stole the letters from Rachel's locker ("But don’t tell Rachel, okay? I
took it from her locker." - later, she admits her "crime", but she doesn't
feel guilty, so she is not stalked by a ghost of Rachel wearing a pyramid on
her head %) ). After reading the letters, she thought that Mary actually went
to Silent Hill, so she runs away from the hospital (because she'd be sent to
some orphanage if she had waited for her treatment to end) and makes her way
to Silent Hill. On the way she meets another kind person, that agrees to take
her there. This happened to be Eddie Dombrowski, who was "running away from
the police". He didn't really care where to go, so he agreed to help the girl
out. They came to Silent Hill together (see the seventeenth scene of the SH2
intro movie - we can see Eddie resting next to his van and Laura, urging him
to move on). More accurately, they arrived at the observation deck and went to
the Woodside apartment building (probably to rent a room)
James first meets her in Woodside when he tries to get the key. She kicks it
away, exacting her own little revenge for Mary.
----------------
a) The encounter in WSA
Tell me: do you often see metal bars in hallways of apartment buildings? Of
course not. The bars are an element of James' world (prison\cage bars), which
affects only James. Now, we know that Laura doesn't see any
monsters\bars\meat\blood\Marias and the town looks pretty normal to her - "To
her the town appears to be normal; she does not see any monsters, nor does she
see Maria." Now try to imagine how stupid James looks to her - he is trying to
grab a key through the bars. But SHE doesn't see any bars! I wonder what she
thought about James back then...
"Huh? Are you blind or something?" Not surprising, that she decided to play a
little "joke"
----------------
She will continue to get in his way for the length of the game. Why doesn't
she like James? It's simple - when she was in the hospital she noticed that he
rarely visited his wife (these visits were very hard on James, but she decided
that she just didn't care about her: "You didn’t love Mary anyway!"). Plus, he
probably never even noticed her during these visits, while she remember what
he looked like well enough. Also, her childhood egoism played a major part
here - she didn't want the bad James to have HER Mary. That is why she tries
hard to get to him.
After that James meets her outside Woodside, she is sitting on the wall,
thinking about Mary's whereabouts. The drawings on the wall are important, as
they are symbols of Laura's character.
--------------------
b) Meaning of the drawings
-- Flowers - metaphor: "children are the flowers of life". Yellow flowers mean
happiness. This could mean that Laura is searching for happiness. Also, there
are yellow flowers on the walls of Wish House in SH4. A symbol of orphans?
-- A cat - metaphor: Cats see in the dark. That means that despite all she had
to suffer in the orphanage, Laura holds no darkness in her heart, thus she
sees no monsters. She does not want to hide in a dream-world. She wants to
find happiness IN THIS WORLD (similar to Vincent in SH3) - to live a happy
life with a loving family.
We could say that even though she has immense psychical potential, Laura
didn't form a subconscious world. She perceives Silent Hill as a typical
resort town, a little foggy, but without any monsters\blood\railings etc.
Maybe she does see elements of her own world, but her vision of "paradise" is
very similar (if not identical) to the real world.
Another meaning for the cat - "the cat walks around by herself" - a symbol of
Laura's loneliness - she is trying to find a close person, who would support
her in life.
-- Teddy bear - in psychology, a teddy bear symbolises infantilism and
nostalgia. This can be applied to Laura: wouldn't you call someone, who tries
to find parents infantile? Most children of her age want to be free of their
boring "parental units", nostalgia = Laura wants to get Mary, her "mother",
back, because Mary is strongly associated with happiness in the little girl's
mind. On the other hand, it could represent her love for Mary (who also wanted
to bring back her happy days = nostalgia). Thus, the Teddy Bear and the Car
represent Mary and Laura in St.Jerome's. I think that this wall is the main
way of understanding Laura's character and her past.
--------------------
After her meeting with James near WSA Laura goes to the Bowl-o-rama to ask
Eddie if he found any info on Mary.
------------------
c) Why the Bowl-o-Rama?
The advertisement for Pete's Bowl-o-Rama is right above Eddie's van on the
Observation Deck - it was the first thing they both saw and decided to visit
the place. Maybe they arranged to meet there later.
------------------
Obviously, he could care less about some Mary - he was too deep down in his
problems (don't confuse Eddie with the altruistic Henry!). After realizing his
indifference and uselesness, she leaves with a stingy remark ("You’re just a
gutless fatso!", "a fatso like you would just slow me down" ). By the way,
Eddie's reaction to James' question (Eddie: "...Huh?... Laura...? But
why...?") is curious - Dombrowski believes that she's some sort of a guardian
angel, a figment of his imagination and is surprised by the fact that James
asks him about her.
At this time, Laura starts to doubt the fact that Mary got better. She decides
to visit Brookhaven Hospital, thinking that Mary could've been transferred
from Ashfield to Silent Hill. James finds her playing with teddy bears. Laura
is playing out the scene of her future meeting with Mary: two cute teddy bears
- how touching. But, again there is tension between the two. James, convinced
that what he thinks is true, yells at her. And she decides to pay him back by
locking him in one of the rooms so that he would think how to behave himself
in the future. If only she knew what was going through James' head at that
time... A few minutes later she started to feel bad about it and opened the
door (James was too busy fighting his delusions to notice, of course). This
means Laura is not a spiteful person.
Now, Laura isn't sure if Mary is in Silent Hill at all! And she decides to
check one last place - Lake View Hotel, of which Mary told her so much (note
that she KNOWS that the hotel is no more, it's the last place she checks, her
last Hope for happiness i.e. meeting with Mary). Her desire to meet Mary is so
strong, that she really starts to see the hotel - it exists for her.
-------------
d) The "nostalgic" hotel.
The hotel burned down... but why does Laura sees it, then? That is stimple -
at the same time James arrives there and his mental energy, the power of
James' thoughts and memories starts to affect Laura and makes her see his
"nostalgic" hotel. But the image is taken not only from James' memories. The
photos, the timetable from one year ago... all this could not have been in
James' memory. The FAIRY TALE puzzle also leads to some suspicions. The Hotel
is not just a part of his subconscious. It is the merging of his and Laura's
memories of it, their subconscious worlds. Also note that the "nostalgic"
hotel disappears as soon as Laura leaves and James realizes the truth.
---------------------
For the last time we meet her in Room 312. She didn't find the letter, yet she
still retain her hope and wishes to continue the search, not realizing (she
couldn't accept that) that Mary is dead. "So there you are, James. Did you get
the letter? Did you find Mary? If not, let’s get going already." - she urges
him to go. Even when James tells her the truth ("Mary’s gone. She’s dead. I
killed her"), she still can't believe that her hope is forever lost ("Liar!
That’s a lie!"), but finally accepts the truth and pours out all the pain of
this acceptance on James ("I knew it! You didn’t care about her! I hate you,
James! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" - another similarity to Mary: "I
was so angry all the time and I struck out at everyone I loved most.
Especially you, James.") and leaves the hotel.
So, what will happen to her next?
If we take the Leave ending into account, then James and Laura accept reality
and leave the town together to start a new life, keeping the sweet memory of
Mary in their hearts. But according to SH4 Leave never happened. Then, maybe
Laura left the town and found her happiness alone? Or does she retain her hope
and keep on searching the town?
Team Silent decided to leave the end of Laura's story open...
Quote: "Huh? Are you blind or something?"
Metaphor: "Looking for happiness"
Symbol: Cat
Music "Theme of Laura" , "Laura plays the piano"
Name: According to LM, the name is taken from the book "No language but a
cry", written after real events, in which a little girl was fried on a frying
pan by her mentally sick parents (remember Alessa and Dahlia). After this
Laura didn't speak ("a tale of birds WITHOUT A VOICE" and "SILENT Hill" - see
the similarity?).
By the time she was 12, she was deemed schizophrenic and was sent to a
catholic church to spend her days as a "vegetable" (remember Wish House and
the flowers).
In short, nobody believed that this girl could be returned to normal - but one
doctor doctor D'Ambrosio didn't lose hope and took her in for treatment. Was
he successful? Can Laura deal with her shock and speak again? Can she find
happiness with D'Ambrosio's help? Read the book :)
I think, the conceptual link between this book and Silent Hill is obvious.
2-5 Mary Sunderland (Shepherd) - the path of life of Mary Sunderland
Age - 25
Occupation - Unknown
In the Midwich school level of SH1 we could find a drawing of a cat (a very...
strange cat, indeed) labeled "Mary" - could Mary have spent her childhood in
SH? At that time Mary was... hey, it fits quite nice - by that time Mary
should've been in school.
In her early twenties, Mary was living in Ashfield, which is not far from
Silent Hill, as we know. There she met James Sunderland (whose father, Frank
Sunderland, probably gave them a room in South Ashfield Heights for free). For
some reason, the gloomy clerk attracted her (She writes about him: "It's true
he may be a little surly sometimes, and he doesn't laugh much. But underneath
he's really a sweet person." Well, maybe it was just the free room that
attracted her. Just kidding =) )
And so, they married and began their happy new life together ("We had some
wonderful years together"). James worked as a clerk and Mary was a good
housewife, tried to learn to play the piano ("I remember how much Mary likd
playing the piano"), paint ("She even showed me all her pictures." - says
Laura) etc.
A kind housewife + an introverted melancholic clerk = ideal family. Or does it?
Three years before the events of SH2, the young couple visits the nearby
resort town of Silent Hill. Why Silent Hill? As we know, it is advertised on
the Ashfiel radio station ("Come 2 Silent Hill 4 the ultimate peaceful
getaway!"). They were right with their choice (or wrong. In the long run.).
The time in Silent Hill was the best time in their lives - they spent a whole
day in Rosewater Park, staring at the lake, spent a fun evening in the
Lakeview Hotel (maybe Mary even played the piano there) and room 312 became
their "special place". And everything would be good, if not for the fact that
Mary already had a terminal illness then (remember James' tape), but refused
to accept it ("I just didn’t want to accept it.") and James also didn't
notice, that his beloved wife is ill (or didn't WANT TO notice? When looking
at the photo, he still says that she was healthy, although she obviously
couldn't have been). Probably, Mary caught the thing in Ashfield.
After their vacation ended, they came back to Ashfield, and only then James
started to take action. But it was too late and Mary couldn't be saved ("I’m
afraid I’m not sure. 3 years at most.... Perhaps 6 months... It’s impossible
to say with certainty. "). The happy days departed.
Mary was admitted into St.Jerome's Hospital (the Sunderlands' neighbor -
Rachel - was a nurse there), but she didn't believe in any miraculous cure
("It’s be easier if they’d just kill me. But I guess the hospital is making a
nice profit off me, they want to keep me alive..."), yet didn't want to die
and WANTED to believe in the possibility of it, but knew, that death was
inevitable. Pain, sorrow, despair. This suffering, paired with the suffering
from her inner conflict, she took out on James.
She realized, that this illness is not only taking her own life, but is
hurting her husband. She always wanted him to leave ("Just go home already",
"Get the hell out of here" , "Leave me alone already!" , "Are you still
here?", "Don’t come back!"). The central word here is "Leave". In reality, she
wanted him to leave her, to stop suffering for her, to start a new life. She
wanted to end his pain, but couldn't find the right words and just inflicted
more pain. Although, Mary also couldn't sever her link with this world (i.e.
with James) - she still wanted to believe that she could be saved, wanted him
to chase away her despair ("James.... Wait.... Please don’t go.... Stay with
me. Don’t leave me alone. I didn’t mean what I said. Please James.... Tell me
I’ll be okay. Tell me I’m not going to die. Help me...")
This went on for 2 years. For 2 long years, during which Mary lay in her
hospital bed, staring at the ceiling most of the time, living only in her
memories. In her thoughts, she returned to Silent Hill time and again, going
deeper and deeper into her subconscious world, her Sacred Grounds. Even though
her body was in the hospital, her mind was in the foggy resort town. Thus, she
got more and more stuck in her world of memories. How she wanted to return
there with James...
She waited for James, but didn't want him to come, because he would have to
suffer seeing her again. During her third year in the hospital, she met a
small girl named Laura there. The two quickly became friends - a girl,
striving to find the happiness she never had, and a woman, who can only
remember the happiness that will never be again. She held onto Laura to keep
herself from drowning in sorrow - they talked about Silent Hill, reviving
Mary's sweet memories of the town, and Laura found in her the mother, whom she
never had ("I love you like my very own daughter. If things had worked out
differently, I was hoping to adopt you."). Mary even wanted to adopt her, but
knew that this would never happen.
This went on for a year, but one day Mary finally left the hospital ("It’s not
that I’m getting better. It’s just that this may be my last chance..."). She
was so eager to get home that she probably didn't wait for Laura to show up
and left her a letter, same as she did for James and asked Rachel to give it
to her husband (she asked Rachel because she was their neighbor).
She returned to SAHapts to James and wanted to visit Silent Hill for the last
time in her life. But her condition was getting worse and worse and it was
obvious that she wouldn't survive the journey. And so, she spent her remaining
days with her husband, slowly dying before his eyes. One night, he decided to
end this three-year long nightmare. He waited for her to fall asleep and
smothered her with a pillow. Here's a lullaby to close your eyes...Goodbye.
Rest in peace, Mary and may you have the sweetest of dreams in your pocket of
eternity.
Now he only had to comply with her last wish - take her to Silent Hill. "The
real reason I came to this town.I wonder what was I afraid of? Without you,
Mary, I’ve got nothing...."
But did Mary's personality really die, or was she left to forever wander the
restless dreams of Silent Hill?
"Be then released from the bonds of the flesh, and gain the Power of Heaven."
Mary is dead - long live Mary! WIll her memories go on living in the town of
her dreams? "Well, I'm alone there now... In our "special place" Waiting for
you..."
Will she meet her husband and dive with him into the world of their memories,
or is she doomed to wait for him in her world forever alone? Will James
abandon her? This will be decided by your actions in the game.
Quote: "In my restless dreams, I see that town... Silent Hill" (the famous
quote that send the heart of SH fans all over the globe racing)
Metaphor: "Drowning in memories"
Symbol: Water
Music: Promise, Magdalene, Waiting for You
Name: If James' name was inspired by Jack the Ripper, then we could try to
find Mary under the same topic. The name is derived from Mary Kelly - Jack's
victim, who lived with a man named Joseph, who was suspected of being the
Ripper.
2-6. Maria, part 1 (real)
Age - 25
Occupation - dancer in Heaven's Night
When visiting Heaven's Night, James saw a strip dancer, performing under the
stage name "Maria". Looking at the posters in the restroom at the beginning of
SH2 and in SH3 we can see that she actually has LONG DARK HAIR. James did not
remember her face, but her name was stuck in his memory (probably because the
similarity with his wife's name and their age. )
2-7. Maria, part 2 (subconscious)
Mary is still imprisoned in her coccoon of suffering and loneliness, the
restless dreams of Silent Hill. But some day, a beautiful butterfly will
emerge from this coccoon. What will it look like?
The long three years went on. Three painful years. James was tired, tired of
waiting, tired of hoping - he already knew, that Mary is lost to him, that his
happiness will die with her.
Suffering, despair, loneliness... "And that’s why you needed this “Maria”
person?" James needed someone, who would be close to him, who would support
him, someone to replace Mary for him. And then, he created a new Mary for
himself - a perfect woman, who would fulfill all his dreams and give back his
lost happiness.
---------------------------------
a) Appearance analysis.
So, how would a "girl of his dreams" look? She must look like Mary, of course,
but be much more open ("I can be yours..." - "Don’t you want to touch me? Come
and get me "), always cheerful and kind ("And I’ll never yell at you or make
you feel bad."). For some reason, James associated the image of a perfect
woman with a certain strip dancer from the bar Heaven's Night - "Lady Maria".
Thus, her name. I should note, that James still loved Mary, so his image of a
"dream girl" was highly affected by the image of his wife. She must be a
blonde, because, according to some stereotypes "Don’t you think blondes have
more fun?". Red and pink colors prevail in Maria's clothing - this is
obviously the result of his frequent visits to Heaven's Night.
She has a butterfly tattoo - James' association with "night butterfly". Also,
there is coin hanging on her neck. It means love for money and is just a cute
strip accessory.
For these three years, James dreamt of this perfect woman, his wife dying from
the disease. And, after some time, this image took root in his subconscious
world and became part of it.
---------------------------------
So, Maria exists in James's world (his memories of the town), because James
associates her with this place. Her only purpose is the fulfillment of his
desires ("I can be yours... I’ll be here for you forever. And I’ll never yell
at you or make you feel bad. That’s what you wanted"). James himself the
reason she exists - her Fate, her God. Can this be called love? To live only
for the lived one, to bring him\her happiness - is this not love? Maria has no
past (at first she thinks she is a real strip dancer, but soon realizes that
she knows nothing about herself, apart from a few of James' speculations) and
not even a future (she's not even real!).
To live only for the loved one. The most terrible thing is that her love is
already doomed - James has rejected her ("Maria...? It’s you... But I don’t
need you anymore." - the "dream girl" was just a toy for his injured mind and
now James tosses IT away), he needs Mary - the Mary he knew, dressed the same,
acting the same (nostalgia at its worst!).
Now that he has once again gained Hope (the letter), Maria has lost her
purpose ("I don’t have any reason to go on living" - says Maria, holding the
revolver to her head). She is left alone, abandoned by the person she loves
("When I woke up, I was all alone.") - what is she to do? Try and get James'
love back ("Do I fight and live?") or give up and cease to exist?
Maria cannot stay alone - she has been created for another purpose: to beclose
to people, to be social, thanks to James' imagination. Thus, she tries to find
at least one person in the town. Somebody, who could become a new reason for
her to exist. But it is all for naught, the only denizens of James' world are
monsters and herself.
But, as I have already stated in this PA, the subconscious world (and their
energies) have the ability to mix ("other worlds began to force their way into
his universe and it began to swell horribly") and merge into "White Noiz". At
one moment, James' world comes in contact with the world of Ernest Baldwin.
Maria finally finds a person to communicate with (and to explore his world -
the mansion from his memories). But she confronts the very same problem - he
does not need her ("Would you leave me alone?"). No matter how she tries to
get closer to him - all useless. He just uses her to get the White Chrism,
needed to resurrect his daughter.
-------------------------
b) Interesting fact concerning Maria's hair color
In "Making of SH2" Sato Takayoshi makes an interesting remark about Maria's
hair color: "I think she is a brunette. She's not blond, she dyed red, but
then she dyed... she bleached". Notice the three colors - black (brunette),
red ("she dyed red") and white ("she bleached"). Remind you of anything? What
color are the tablets she has to arrange in her scenario? Black, red and
white. And what are the ingredients of the ritual to "resurrect the dead"?
Blood (red), Obsidian goblet (black) and White Chrism (white). Another link to
the theme of Rebirth.
-------------------------
Thus, Maria could not escape her fate. She is bound to James and no one else.
And she obeys fate (Maria: What if I had said I believed in Fate? Ernest: That
James, he’s a bad man. Maria: James...? Y,yes...... I know.") - she decides to
fight for James' attention and love. She decides to play her part of the
seductress.
Will James reject the girl from his dreams, or will he love her back?
At this time, the worlds continue to mix... James's world gradually draws in
Mary's world of memories, that still exists in the foggy town.
-----------------------
c) Rebirth
Do you remember what happened to Eileen Galvin in SH4? "She's being taken
over...The Mother Reborn" - Walter's memories, that existed in his world,
forced their way into her mind.
Maria is a similar case - Mary's memories are reborn through her ("...Maria
has Mary's memories" - LM). Memories of the hotel, for example ("Remember that
time in the hotel... You said you took everything... But you forgot that
videotape we made. I wonder if it’s still there... Äæåéìñ: How do you know
about that! Aren’t you Maria?").
Mary's memories (and her psychic energy as well) merged with James' world and
were channeled through Maria (because Maria was somewhat of an impersonation
of Mary, thus she absorbed Mary's energy) - this was the beginning of Mary's
Rebirth (and Maria starts to show signs of a split personality. Or rather,
"mixed personality" - "It doesn’t matter who I am..."). Out of the coccoon of
pain came a beautiful butterfly.
-----------------------
But can James see the shadow of his wife in Maria? Or does he only need his
"nostalgic" Mary?
Quote : "It doesn’t matter who I am... I’m here for you, James."
Metaphor: Butterfly of Rebirth.
Symbol: Butterfly
Music : "Heaven's Night" , "Overdose Delusion"
Name: The name "Maria" comes from the Chrisitan Mary - mother of Jesus, the
Godmother. In some way, Maria is also a Godmother (similar to SH4's "Mother
Reborn") because the memories of Mary are reborn in her. The memories, which
are to become one of the "Gods" of James' subconscious world.
2-8. Ernest Baldwin.
Ernest Baldwin was a member of what one might call Silent Hill's aristocratic
layer of society, owning a large luxurious mansion filled with "difficult
books" ("The bookshelf is lined with complete editions of difficult-looking
books.") - overall, an intelligent man. Some years ago he lived happily with
his daughter Amy, who was center of his attention and the meaning of his life.
But then...
November... A sad month... 10 years ago in November little Amy Baldwin fell
out of the window. An accident, nobody's fault. She was taken by God at an age
of 7 ("She was loved too much by God. Seven years was not enough time."). But
the death of his beloved daughter turned Ernest's life in a different
direction - he has lost his child, lost the meaning of his life, his hope and
future ("Along with you died joy. All that remains is despair and a future of
meaningless tomorrows.")... His life has stopped, he could not go on without
Amy (remember James: "Without you, I just can’t go on. I can’t live without
you, Mary.") But he still hoped. Somehow he learned of a ritual known in a
cult, indigenous to Silent Hill, as the ritual of the Holy Assumption. Will
the ancient Gods hear Ernest's plea? Will they return the life of his
daughter? In any way, he had nothing else to try, and so he did. He sacrificed
his life to bring her. Did he believe that a miracle would happen? Simply put,
no. He didn't. When Maria asks "Do you really think it will work?" he only
gives her a doubtful "I don’t know...". Moreover, he didn't even complete the
Holy Assumption because he couldn't find the White Chrism - we see that deep
down in his soul Baldwin never believed that some sort of occult ritual could
bring his daughter back. After he freed himself from the chains of the flesh
and gained the Power of Heaven, he became trapped in the world of his
memories, his subconscious world. But as he didn't believe in Amy's
resurrection, no miracle happened in this world. Now he is doomed to forever
"haunt" the mansion in eternal loneliness and despair. If only he BELIEVED,
everything could turn out differently.
A lot of time passed since then, but the Baldwin mansion was never occupied
(the new owners risked a similar fate as the owner of Room 302 in SAHapts).
Sinister rumors have spread over the town about the "Baldwin Haunted Mansion".
Ernest's consciousness has been trapped in his world all this time - he could
not leave the house of his memories. At first, he did not realize that he was
death, but soon he found out the truth ("By the time I found out about it, I
could no longer leave this house."). He will forever be in this lonely world,
where there is no place for people - but it is for the best. Others would just
annoy him, disturb his solitude, his reminiscence of the times when Amy was
alive. He did not forget - that day still lives in Ernest's memory. There are
things, that we can forget, and there are things, that we can never forget. He
did not know what was worse - to forget, or to remember... On one hand, these
memories were painful, he suffered, but on the other hand - Amy continued to
live in her father's thought and to forget her would mean forgetting the
dearest memories.
Thus, Baldwin drowned in his endless mourning of his daughter, became a part
of Silent Hill... But strange things have been happening lately. Ernest's
world started to flux and overlap with the world of another - James
Sunderland. Could it be because these people were similar? Both James and
Ernest lost their loved ones and because of this lost their will to live? This
cannot be known. But the fact remains - the silence, that has claimed its
place in the Baldwin Mansion, is broken with the coming of Maria from James'
world. She has yet to realize her purpose, but Ernest can perceive James'
world just as Maria can perceive his - and he learns the mystery of her birth
("You were born in this town."). Now, Ernest has once again gained Hope - even
if can't leave the mansion to get the White Chrism, he can use Maria to fetch
it from another's world ("Maria...? So you must be... That’s why. That’s why
you could see me. So perhaps that means that I can hope for a miracle as well?
In the apartment next door, there is a bottle containing a white liquid.").
Although, Ernest is still doubting the success of his endeavor, he at least
hopes that if the ritual is performed correctly a miracle can happen.
It is understandable, that after getting the White Chrism Baldwin will once
again try to perform the Holy Assumption - but will it bring his daughter
back? This question is left open. Well, it is his own world and only that will
come to be, what he believes in.
Quote: Along with you died joy. All that remains is despair and a future of
meaningless tomorrows. But I will never give up. One, to see your beautiful
smile again. One, to beg the blessings of the Gods. I wait for that day.
Metaphor: Prisoner of sad memories
Symbol: The three tablets
Name: The meaning of his name is revealed in the game itself. It is taken from
Ernest Hemingway, who, by the way, committed suicide in 1961.
2-9. Amy Baldwin
Ernest's seven-year-old daughter lived a happy life with her father in Baldwin
Mansion. She liked plush toys, fairy tales and loved playing with matches -
just as all little children do. But most importantly - she loved her father
more than anyone else. His birthday was in November - Amy even bought him a
pretty postcard ("TO MY DEAREST DADDY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! FROM AMY BALDWIN") and
gloves to keep his hands warm during winter - with these gloves it would be
fun to play snowballs... She wanted to make it a surprise and decided to hide
the presents in the attic. Apparently, the attic was quite dark and she forgot
the matches in her room, so she couldn't light the lamp. So, the girl opened
the window to look at the postcard again, but suddenly Ernest came into the
attic, startled her and she fell out of the window. That is why she was
holding an open envelope - Ernest realized it only after all that time
("Now... when it’s too late, I finally understand why. Why she was there...
Why she was holding the empty envelope in her hand when she... when she
fell."). Now, without his daughter, Ernest's life has lost its meaning, his
joy died. But he has one last hope - he tries to resurrect her through an
ancient ritual...
Worthy of note is the occult magazine from SH3, which says that people, who
died a sudden death, can still exist (as psychic energy), not realizing their
death. And when Maria picks up the postcard, she hears a girl's voice: "Give
it... to my daddy...". Is this just Maria's imagination, or does Amy still
live in the mansion after death, just as her father does? Could it be that she
is living in her world and some day it will come in contact with Ernest's
world, just as James' world did? Then Amy and Ernest can once again be
together and find happiness after death.
2-10. Walter Sullivan in the context of SH2. (also see Part 4, 4-1)
We find mentions of Walter in SH2, but, of course, in the light of the
different psychological themes, the meaning is a bit different.
Judging by the newspaper (not taking SH4 into account for now) we can assume
that Walter Sullivan killed two chldren, but could not take the weight of
guilt and also descended into a world of delusions. He believed, that he
wasn't guilty ("...it wasn't me!"), tried to hide from the truth, but deep
down knew that their death is his doing. Note the phrase "I did it, but it
wasn't me!" - he says he did it, but instantly contradicts himself. But, [now
he's talking about SH4 too - Translator's note] maybe there are two identities
inside him - a bloody murderer (the man in coat, who perform the 21
Sacraments) and the other - a weird university student, who "didn't look like
the type of guy who would kill kids"? So, Sullivan murdered the children, but
it was the other Sullivan - the man in coat. This explains his phrase quite
well.
Walter also mentioned a Red Devil (from SH4 we learn that it was Jimmy Stone),
who was trying to punish him. Does this remind you of something? We can assume
(again, without taking SH4), that Walter's feeling of guilt started to pursue
him and finally drew him to suicide. Walter stabbed himself in the neck with a
spoon. The very same way the PyramidHeads do. This is not a coincidence, but a
result of James reading about the maniac. For some reason, James associated
himself with the maniac... hmm... what kind of reason is that, I wonder? Did
James do something bad? %)
James and Walter have similarities - both carry the weight of guilt, both are
prisoners of delusions.. And if remember the Rebirth ending, in which James
perform the Holy Assumption to resurrect Mary...
By the way, in SH2 we can visit Sullivan's grave. Interesting... "Walter
Sullivan" is written on the gravestone. It becomes even more interesting after
we learn, that Walter was buried in an unmarked grave ("His body was buried in
a cemetery just outside his hometown of Silent Hill in an UNMARKED grave"), so
his name couldn't have been there. So why did Walter see it? Do the memories
of Walter Sullivan still live in the foggy town?
2-11. Joseph Barkin
The authors of SH2 once said that they planned to main characters for the game
- one was to be named James, another - Joseph ("In the initial stages of the
scenario, the two characters we had were Joseph and James"). I assume the
Joseph in question was Joseph Barkin. Later, Joseph's line as a main character
was dropped and only James was left as protagonist. But the character of
Joseph wasn't abandoned. We finds mentions of him in the game and can even
trace his history. Let's take a look at how the plot could look, had Konami
left him.
Joseph Barkin was a patient in Brookhaven Hospital. He suffered from a mental
disorder. Most of the time he was calm, but when overly excited, he became
violent.
The cause of his disorder was the death of his beloved daughter Louise, which
Barkin blamed himself for ("His illness seems to be rooted in the fact that he
believes he is guilty of causing his daughter's death"). Unable to cope with
the guilt, he started seeing hallucinations ("His symptoms suggest a psychotic
break and paranoid delusions") and crossed over to his own world - a world,
where he is happy, where he can be with his daughter forever. Reality left him
only a piece of Louise's hair, but he guraded its image in his world with zeal
("Louise I'll take care of you four ever. It's my destiny!"). So, is it really
necessary to drag a man out of the world, where he is happy, just so he can be
"normal"? The answer to this question avoided even the director of the
hospital...
-----------------------------
a) Barkin's feature
It is strange to see, that Joseph - a grown-up man, a father - could't write.
Maybe he never went to school? All his notes contain terrible mistakes ("I
took the direckter's key I took the direckters's key - the one to the
mooseum.") - his style is easily recongnizable among the other notes. What
other character in the SH series couldn't write? Young Walter Sullivan -
spending his time in the orphanage, he seems to have never learned to write
properly. Maybe Joseph is from Wish House too... who know. He buried the key
under the statue of one of the Cult's founders... what could this mean?
b) The box
Joseph put his most sacred treasure in a metal box and locked it with four
locks... The hair of his daughter - the memories of her, which he will keep
forever. Also, by locking what remained of her away in a box Joseph wanted to
forget, that she died in reality - if he forgets it, then the guilt will
leave. Yes, now he believes that Louise is still alive and writes "I'm not a
krimminal", no longer blaming himself for her death.
--------------------------
For some reason, Joseph was locked up in the Special Treatment Room on the 3rd
floor.
--------------------------
c) The secret name
In of the rooms we find a message - "Tern tern tern the numbers better not
forget them So i'll right them down here The other one, my secret name". This
is Barkin's writing. But what is it - he writes down a four-digit code and
calls it HIS SECRET NAME. Four digits! Think Walter's ritual, where every
victim received a such a "name". Maybe Joseph wanted to perform a ritual to
resurrect his daughter?
--------------------------
After some time, when Joseph calmed down, he was let out ("If Joseph looks
calm, he can be taken out of his cell"). But then he steals the director's key
("key I took the direckters's key - the one to the mooseum. I hid it behind
the preying woman when I went out for the day trip. I picked it up but I did
not steal it. I'm not a krimminal") and hides it behind the Statue of Jennifer
Carroll ("The key to the society is in the park. At the foot of the praying
woman, inside of the ground, inside of a box. To open it, I need a wrench. My
patient buried it there. I knew, but I did nothing"). But why did Joseph steal
the key? So that nobody can find it. The museum hold the history of Silent
Hill, the Ultimate Truth. But people look for peace, not truth ("I wasn't
looking for the truth, I was looking for tranquility."). Sweet lies are always
better than hard truth - that is why the director was uneasy with having the
key ("It made me uneasy to have such a thing near") and that is why the
patient decided to bury the key of Truth in the ground - just as he buried the
painful memories of Louise's death in the depths of his subconsciousness.
But what will James Sunderland choose? The Ultimate Truth or a world of
illusions? Well, truth often betrays people...
------------------------
d) Joseph Barkin and James Sunderland.
What is the difference between Joseph and James? One blamed himself for the
death of his daughter, while really innocent, another killed his wife and
believed that she died from a disease. Both men couldn't take reality and
believed, that their dead loved ones are still alive. This was easier... But
if Joseph tried to hide from the truth, James delves deeper and deeper into
his own mind and moves closer to the realization of the crime. One after
another, he opens the boxes buried in the depth of his mind and remembers what
he wanted to forget...
Quote: Louise I'll take care of you four ever. It's my destiny!
Metaphor: Hiding from truth
Symbol: a locked box
Name: Joseph was the name of another suspect in the Jack the Ripper case. In
that case phrase "I'm not a krimminal" makes perfect sense ;)
2-12 Jack Davis
Another patient of Brookhaven, Jack Davis has a history of 3 suicide attempts.
Strange, seeing as how he has no reason to kill himself, had a family... He
was a calm patient, always followed the doctors' instructions, but sometimes
he just becomes suicidal - maybe the attraction to death is in his nature?
-----------------------------
a) Davis' feature
Unlike Barkin and Lewis, Davis can write properly - his grammar, spelling and
punctuation are perfect. There are only two notes by him in the game - "The
basement's basement" and "Diary from the roof".
b) The basement's basement.
One day Jack found himself in the dark "Basement's basement" - a very dark,
scary place (probably in his subconscious world). He was so scared, that he
dropped his most precious thing - the ring. Jack has a family, so it's
probably his engagement ring... But however precious it was to him, he
couldn't find the courage to look into the dark "basement's basement" of his
soul.
c) Diary from the roof
It may be that this diary is not real, but just a manifestation of Jack's
thoughts, that James receives. What do we learn from this diary? During the
period from 9th to 13th of May, Jack has been staying in Brookhaven. It is
raining outside ("Rain as usual") and the rain often leads to sad thoughts.
Davis is going into a deep depression - he thinks, that the doctors wouldn't
have even tried to save him, were it not for his family. He reflects on his
own uselesness and misery, on how he creates problems for others ("I don't
want to cause any more trouble for anyone, but I'm a bother either way") -
thought that maybe it's better for him to die. Life became a terrible burden
for him ("It's too hard like this. It's just to hard....") and he sees suicide
as the onyl way out ("Can it really be a such a sin to run instead of
fight?... It may be selfish, but it's what I want")...
But finally he is let out to his family. Here we see an unfinished sentence...
If we remember that James falls from the roof, it's only logical to assume,
that right before he was let out, he jumped from the roof... "I also like the
rooftop. It makes me want to fly. You too?"
Attraction to death, low self-esteem, reflections on powerlessness and
uselesness - Jack Davis and Angela Orosco have a lot in common.
Metaphor: It's too hard like this. It's just to hard....
Symbol: Diary from the roof
Name: Probably taken from Jack the Ripper, but also a name in the line of
mentally sick people - Jack-Joseph-Joshua... you want to put James there too,
don't you?
2-13. Joshua Lewis.
The most emotionally unstable patient with a long history of hospitalization.
He likes to solve problems the violent way, which leads to agressive behaviour
and numerous displays of violence. He is also very paranoid. Judging by his
notes (about the demon in the box and the angel of the door) we can assume
that he was a cult member.
--------------
a) Joshua's feature
Unlike Joseph, Joshua's writing is grammatically correct, but he almost
completely ignores punctuation. This is the characteristic, by which we can
tell his notes from the others'. There are two notes by him - "She is an
angel" and "Imprint on carbon paper".
b) She is an angel
Some time ago Joshua started to see "the door lady" - Jennifer Carroll. He
thinks, that she devours all sinners, but will save him. So, Joshua thought
himself completely innocent. He shows a special disgust in sin ("they fall
from the weight of their crimes like bloated and ugly corpses their sins she
devours them sin and sinner alike"), characteristic of religious fanatics -
his agression probably comes from his religious views, his desire to punish
sinners.
c) Imprint on carbon paper
Joshua learned the code to Barkin's box somehow ("i know it i know the number
of the box *random code* it cant help him anymore the button key doesnt scare
me") - but he doesn't know that there is just a hair inside. He writes: "i
know the secret i'll give them something to deal with this DEMON shelter is of
no use any more he is my instrument he must follow my orders yes, the box will
be useless now i must not forget it *random code* that's good he is the lowest
now i too will be free and he will serve me i am a genius no one can stop me
one can stop me no one can stop me can stop can stop no no" - Lewis believed
that there's a demon living in the box (well a DEMON in the box goes well with
an ANGEL on the door) and if he opens it, the demon would be his to control
("he will serve me") and will help him get out of the hospital ("now i too
will be free").
Notice, that Lewis' thoughts get confused towards the end start to resemble a
madman's ravings. He gets so confused in his delusions, that he forgets who he
is - "who i am i don't know who i am is who i am is who i am is".
Quote: i am a genius no one can stop me one can stop me no one can stop me can
stop can stop no no
Symbol: Demon in a box
Name: Joshua is a name in line with other patients. Jack-Joseph-Joshua... you
want to put James there too, don't you?
2-14. Director of Brookhaven Hospital
The director was a very important man in the hospital and worked alongside the
other doctors to help the patients. But what help did they need exactly? Must
the doctor free his patient from suffering, or show them the grim truth,
making them suffer and destroying their world? The director didn't know the
answer to this... Why drag someone outside of the world, where they are happy?
Truth betrays people, so maybe it's better to lock it up in a box and bury it,
so it won't inflict any more pain.
--------------
The director and Joseph
Some time in the past, the director was working with a patient named Joseph
Barkin - a man, who blamed himself for his daughter's death. The patient
locked the painful memories away in a metaphorical box and locked it with 4
metaphorical keys (just like Murakami's "metaphorical seals") and gave one of
the keys to the director. The director decided not to open the box and show
the patient the painful truth, and the metaphorical key was left lying
somewhere in the hospital.
A while later, when the patients were taking a walk, Joseph stole the key to
the Historical Society from the director and put it in a metal box, which he
buried under the statue of Jennifer Carroll.
--------------
The museum is the place, which holds the history of Silent Hill - the Ultimate
Truth... Truth about the executions, about the reason Brookhaven was built and
about the first director. The director had the key, but he was uneasy with
having such a thing. That is why he did nothing, when one of the patients
stole it. He just wanted peace and tranquility. Later, he caught "the plague"
himself and started to see his own and\or his patients' subconscious world ("I
also saw that thing. I fled, but the museum was sealed as well").
Well, now he is also a part of Silent Hill, doomed to an endless existance in
the "Otherworld" of the town. In SH2 we can find letters from him, adressed
directly to James. Of course, these are not real letters, but realizations of
his thoughts.
2-15. Jennifer Carroll (+ analysis of "she is an angel")
Jennifer Carroll - a woman killed by christians. A statue of her can be found
in Rosewater Park. The monument was created so that future generations can
remember the tragedy, that happened because of the religious conflicts and
don't repeat the mistakes of the past ("What happened here shall never be
forgotten"). Also, Carroll street is named after her.
Later we will learn that Jennifer, as one of the founders of the cult, is a
saint of its religion. We can even assume that she participated in the first
birth of God.
Also, we can find mentions of her in Brookhaven Hospital. Let us take a look
at the "She is an angel" note and try to decypher its meaning:
"She is an angel no one knows only I can see the Lady of the Door they cannot
walk along her Bridge of Thread they fall from the weight of their crimes like
bloated and ugly corpses their sins she devours them sin and sinner alike she
saves me she is an angel"
Okay. "She is an angel" - this is a direct reference to the statue in the
park, which was made right after she was KILLED by the christians near Toluca
Lake. She was probably THROWN INTO THE LAKE and her body is still there.
Notice, that people fall from her "Bridge of Thread" from the weight of their
sins and she "DEVOURS" them. Get it already? No? Okay...
Toluca Lake - 1918, "The little baroness". A tourist ship disappeared and was
never found - as if the lake DEVOURED it. And in the town itself, rumors
abound, that DEAD MEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE drag people down. In the
hospital we can even see a picture of bony fingers reaching towards the
battery. "Many corpses rest at the bottom of this lake. Their bony hands reach
up towards the boats that pass overhead. Perhaps they reach for their
comrades". Now, I think, everything is clear.
The "Bridge of Thread" is basically Toluca Lake - sinners cannot cross,
because they drown from the weight of their sins. As if Jennifer Carroll still
lives in the dark waters of the lake, taking sinners away to punish them. Of
course, it could be just rumors and speculations... But what if the thoughts
and memories of the dead draw people into subconscious worlds? Maybe a part of
this story is true?
Metaphor: Unwavering faith under death's blade.
Symbol: Angel
Name: Named after Jonathan Carroll - a horror writer, who wrote books, such as
"The land of laughs" and "After Silence".
2-16. The Orosco family (also see 2-2)
The torn photo of the Oroscos can be found in WSA.
a) Angela - see 2-2.
b) Mother - Angela calls her "mama" - such words are usually used only by
small children. Maybe in Angela's memory, she remained as "mama"? "It's been
so long since I've seen her" - this leads me to assume, that Angela's mother
died in a fire (look at her world) when she was a little girl.
c) Angela's brother - there is exactly nothing known about him other than that
he's dead. Probably died in the fire along with his mother.
d) Thomas Orosco - after losing his wife and son, Thomas started drinking and
of course cause no small amount of trouble to his daughter - beat her up and
probably even raped her. The Abstract Father is a symbol of Angela's past. It
looks like two bodies, lying under a bedsheet, with one figure lying on the
other. Notice, that the one "under" has a mouth and it looks like the figure
is giving out silent screams of pain - that is what Angela's past with her
drunkard of a father looked like... One day she couldn't take it anymore and
tried to run away, but Thomas found her and brought her home. He probably
loved her, because she was his last close person - but he couldn't deal with
his pain alone and Angela wouldn't help him. It was probably then that Angela
killed him with a knife. Later we can find a newspaper article describing this
and even the murder weapon itself.
2-17. The Great DOG ("Mira")
Around your third run through the game James can find a doghouse with a key
(further proof, that he can perceive Alessa's world) - but what does this key
open? Undoubtedly, it is the key to all of SH2's mysteries! It opens the
Observation Room...
Oh, My doG!!! WTF is THAT!? We see a well-lit room filled with computer
equipment... and we see a DOG. Not just a DOG, but the Great DOG - headphones
on, it's busy manipulating the levers. On the monitor we spot the faces of
James and Maria! That's it! All the events of SH2 are the masterplan of the
Great DOG!!!
----------------
a) the DOG
I think all of you want to know WHY the Great DOG. "doG" is "God" writteb
backwards =). Thus, the Great DOG is the true God of Silent Hill (if only the
cult knew, WHO they worship...). Well, it's "God" backwards, so the Devil of
Silent Hill would be more appropriate...
DOG lives. Just look around you!
Just think of the phrases said by cult members now. How do you like "My
daughter will be the Mother of DOG" , "DOG? Are you sure you don't mean Devil"
or "Only those who hearken to the voice of DOG will be given the keys to
Paradise".
----------------
We see that the DOG is all-powerful. It controls everything in SH.
Essentially, it is a God, that rules the fluxing mass of subconscious world in
the town, just by moving levers. But the DOG does not only control the
"Otherworld". There have been rumors, that Mira is a great guitar player and
sometimes even gives performances in Heaven's Night... Could James have seen
the DOG there? Then his remark ("So it was all your work!") makes sense - he
has met the DOG before.
----------------
b) "Yeah, I killed that DOG. It was fun."
Can the Great DOG have any connection to Eddie? As we know, everything in the
SH plot is interconnected. Let's see: Eddie kills a dog, the dog dies in great
pain ("It tried to chew its own guts out! Finally died all curled up in a
ball") - but that looks almost like a sacrifice! The DOG went through the same
things Walter Sullivan did - it created its own world and now lives in and
rules it. Moreover, when its world started to mix with other, it took control
of the rest of SH too... looks bad.
c) the CAT
Now that we know the meaning of the DOG ending, it becomes absolutely clear
why Laura draws a CAT in the hotel. Thing is, that there is a... *drum roll*
...Great CAT living in SH - it is a representation of all good things. Laura
doesn't see any meat, blood and monsters thanks to the Great CAT's protection.
Apparently, the Great DOG and the Great CAT are always at odds and to thwart
the evil plans of the Great DOG, people must spread the mark of the Great CAT
through the town, which Laura did.
----------------
In the end, James collapses to his knees in front of the Great Dog and it
licks him, which represents forgiveness and repentance. And then it shows him
a set of funny pictures, accompanied by a track called "Bark!". Finally, James
will find his happiness. These pictures will make him fall over from laughter
and forget all the suffering of his past...
---------------
d) Alternate explanation of the DOG ending
But that is not all. I have another explanation in store for you!
Along the course of the game James is tearing apart between his beloved Mary
and the sexy Maria, who could fulfill all his wishes... But in reality he
needed neither of the two... He desired only the DOG! Yes, only the DOG could
fulfill his wildest dreams... Only Mira could give James what neither Mary nor
Maria could...
And because the DOG was James most true and most secret desire its image was
also manifested in James' world. That is why the DOG now exist there and can
manipulate the events going on in James' world. Now James' search has ended
and he can be with his beloved Mira forever. Mira licks James and the song
follows. In the end we hear an erotic sigh... hmmm... what could that mean?
Quote: "Bark!"
Metaphor: The all-powerful Great DOG
Symbol: Control console
Music: "Bark!"
Name: "DOG" is "GOD" written backwards and "Mira" is derived from "Mary".
2-18. Other SH2 characters
a) Billy Lockane - one of the two children murdered by Walter Sullivan.
b) Miriam Lockane - was playing with her brother, when they both were attacked
by a maniac and chopped with a rusty axe.
c) Roger Widmark - a journalist, who wrote the tourist brochure on Silent
Hill. He was successfull in describing the peaceful atmosphere of the town.
d) Tim - a man, who was asked to look after a room in WSA, while the owner was
gone. We find the room in terrible disrepair - wet floor, broken windows, etc.
The owner apparently never reutrned to Silent Hill.
e) Uncle David - resident of WSA. He collects "strange" coins.
f) Patrick Chester - son of Edward Chester. Participated in the civil war. Has
a monument in Rosewater Park.
g) Edward Chester - father of Patrick Chester. Participated in the civil war.
His son has a monument in Rosewater Park.
h) Louise - Joseph Barkin's deceased daughter. We find a piece of her hair.
For some reason her father blamed himself for her death.
i) Allen Smith - author of "Waterfront Landscape" - a picture that shows the
Silent Hill landscape of the 1820-s (when there were few building). Later, the
picture was stolen from the SHHS.
j) Prison Warden - watching over the prisoners, this man noticed, that none of
them thinks himself guilty. Every man tries to justify his own deeds, however
terrible they are. His observations fit well with modern psychologists'
discoveries in a criminal's mind mechanisms. There is a "self-defense system"
in every mind, that, if needed, lowers the barriers of moral control and
allows the mind to justify the committed crime.
k) The hanged men - all these people were executed for different crimes. But
are they all guilty?
l) Miriam K - "traitor". We find her grave in the cemetary next to Walter
Sullivan's grave. Does the name remind you of someone. Of course, it's not a
coincidence.
Miriam KAY is a derivation of Miriam LoKAYne - the name of Walter's eighth
victim ("Judgement" Tarot card). She probably betrayed her brother somehow.
Obviously, the gravestone is just a hallucination, which was only a part of
James' world. Or was it? James could see other people's worlds too, so maybe
he saw Walter's world. Walter, being on bad terms with grammar, could have
written "LoKAYne"\
m) Johnny - the fire in Lakeview Hotel is his fault. The hot guy was so stupid
as to light up an oven right next to a curtain. Of course it caught fire
and... Now there's no hotel and no hot guy Johnny...
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3. CHARACTERS OF SILENT HILL 3
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There aren't that many main characters functioning in the SH3 plot, but
that shouldn't be considered a shortcoming, since the authors have done a
great job making the characters deep without making the plot overly
complex. Thus, while the main plotline is relatively simple (yet well
thought-out still), the main highlight are the characters, their
interactions and their deepest secrets.
3-1. HARRY MASON
Age: 49
Occupation: writer
17 years have passed. At times it feels as if it was yesterday, sometimes
- that it was a ages ago... Maybe it was just a nightmare, But Harry Mason
knew it wasn't. The infant girl he held in his hands was proof of that.
The child, the new life, a gift from the dying Alessa - was it his
daughter Cheryl, Or was she a reincarnated Alessa, the cause of the
nightmare? The answer to that Harry didn't have - he simply fled the town
with the baby.
But was he strong enough to keep the child, whose origins were uncertain,
and love her as his own daughter. To keep this reminder of the nightmare
he had to survive in Silent Hill. At times he wanted to abandon her, kill
her (maybe that was the best solution all the way) but couldn't do it in
the end. Now that he's lost Cheryl this girl was the only thing he had
left and when she looked at him and smiled he couldn't help but smile
back. He loved that child and finally made the hard decision - he would
adopt her.
At first he saw her as Cheryl's replacement (or even as Cheryl herself),
gave her the same name and even used his daughter's documents (LM: "The
results of the investigation conducted by Douglas, the private detective,
identified Heather's REGISTERED age as 24. One can infer that Harry raised
Heather as the child he found 7 years before the first game-- in other
words, that he raised her as Cheryl"). He probably couldn't bear the loss
of Cheryl and thus decided not to register her disappearance\death and was
left with the papers.
Immediately after the events of SH1 Harry and his "seven year old"
daughter move to Portland, ME, not far from Silent Hill. It seemed that
the past was finally behind them and a new life awaited. But was it truly
so?
Harry spent the following 5 years living a happy life with his treasured
daughter ("No matter whose reincarnation she may have been, that girl was
my most beloved treasure"), coming to terms with what happened before ("I
don't worry about it much now that's all forgiven") and finally accepts
the girl as more than Cheryl's replacement - his second daughter. He
stopped trying to revive the past and crying over the memories of those
who died - now he had a new life and a new goal - he wanted to make his
daughter happy. He realized that naming her Cheryl was a mistake - the
girl might not like to find out that she was a replacement at first. He
didn't want to cause her any distress.
Alas, the happy life in Portland didn't last forever. The shadows of the
past leapt far. The cult of Silent Hill was searching for Alessa, Mother
of God.
-----------------------------------
a) Portland, 12 years ago.
Apparently, Harry didn't run far enough and after some time his location
became known to the Cult. The Nightmare began again and again Harry was
forced to fight to protect himself and his daughter. It ended in the cult
member's death and Harry's actions were deemed appropriate self-defense,
but this event made Mason realize that the past will never completely let
him, or his daughter, go.
-----------------------------------
After the Portland incident Harry leaves for Ashfield, outside of Maine
(note: it is hinted in SH4 that SH3 takes place in Ashfield). There he
would live for the following 12 years with Cheryl in apartment 102 of the
Daisy Villa Apartment Building under false names (Cheryl's name is changed
to Heather, Harry's new name is unknown). Heather is 5(12) years and
sometimes she displays odd behavior - as if she is being influenced by
memories of her past life, as if Alessa still lives within her ("I
sometimes have the sense even now that, that girl is a reincarnation of
Alessa"). Which means... God and the nightmarish inner world still exist
inside Harry's daughter? Are the events of SH1 doomed to repeat? Of
course, Mason tried to keep such thoughts away, but couldn't risk
Heather's life and eventually gave her a small pendant. This pendant
contained the key to defeating Alessa's God - Aglaophtis. Should something
happen, it would save the girl's life and Harry couldn't wish for more.
In the end, his worst fears came true... The last words he heard from his
beloved daughter were "I love you too, dad". Did he know what was coming?
Probably not, but he certainly felt that something was going to happen
soon: his letter was written not long before his death (it mentions the
same 17 years). And so it started again - Claudia Wolf, the head of the
Cult, finds Heather and tries to revive her "lost memories".
At that time Harry was waiting for his daughter at home in front of the TV
and dozed off. He would not wake up. Claudia's subordinate, the
Missionary, killed the writer in his sleep moments before Heather's
arrival. Harry Mason has died. But does that mean that he has left his
daughter? He surrounded her with love and care, protected her and made her
happy, gave her the strength and will to live... He gave her all he had
and, probably, even death can't take them apart. The memories of her
loving father will live on in Heather's heart. But now she has to make a
choice herself.
-----------------------------------
b) Daddy's still alive?
As we approach the ending, we can stumble upon a room in Heather's world.
This room is a reproduction of Harry's room, complete with the bed on
which his body lay. But... WTF? There are bloody tracks next to the bed -
as if the corpse stood up and left... Is this a reflection of Heather's
guilt for not burying her father ("There’s no one here to give him a
decent burial"), her desire to see him alive, or...? Or did Harry really
come back to life in Alessa's world? That's impossible, isn't it?
But there's another clue here - on the bed we find Mason's diary. How
could it have appeared in the world of Heather\Cheryl\Alessa? None of them
could've read it, so its image and contents couldn't have come from
Heather's mind. Walter's victims from SH4 come to mind - they too
continued to exist in the killer's world and brought things with them
during the transition (for example, Schreiber's red diary).
But wait... Blood, diary... Harry was murdered in his sleep... Could it be
that he was swallowed by Alessa's world and fell asleep because of that?
And after his physical body died... That would mean Harry is now doomed to
an eternal life in Alessa's world. To share the fate of poor Lisa Garland,
whom he pushed away 17 years ago, realizing her true nature... Well, let's
hope for the best - that Heather can still save Lisa, Harry and everyone
else sucked in her subconscious world and finally lay the poor souls to
rest.
ñ) True Strength
Harry always told his daughter that he was the strongest man in the world.
What was his strength, exactly? The ability to kill a God? No... His
strength was in his ability to withstand the worst troubles fate threw at
him and still be able to start a new life in search of happiness. In that
he is similar to Alessa, who continued to exist even after dying several
times. Both wanted to get away from the past and both suffered when that
past caught up to them and repeated itself. Harry was running from the
Cult and Alessa was trying to hide from the memories of her past life
("Something I’ve been running from and forgot for a long time").
"It's easier just to run". But there must be a time to end this. The only
real way out is in stopping a dealing with the dangers once and for all,
to come to terms with the God inside us and end the nightmare. Yes...
It's time to end this nightmare...
3-2. HEATHER (Cheryl) MASON
Age (registered): 24
Occupation: various part-time jobs
Lives in: apartment 102 of Daisy Villa Apartment Building
After a long fight, God was finally dead. But it wasn't only because of
Harry Mason's resolve or Alessa's inner conflicts. It was also because of
Cheryl's conscious resistance... After the end, Alessa appears once again
and gives Harry an infant (her reincarnation), not only giving him a
daughter, but also starting a new turn of the cycle of suffering.
After the events of SH1 Harry moves to Portland with his new daughter.
They live there for five years until discovered and attacked one again by
the Cult. Forced to move again, Harry decides on Ashfield and adopts false
names for them (see 3-1). He names his daughter Heather and dyes her hair
blond.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
a) The true nature of the "newborn" girl (based on Lost Memories)
One of the most prominent questions in the fan community up to now is
where that baby came from.
Obviously, Alessa couldn't have created a physical body for the girl -
Heather is quite real and can't be an illusion only seen by Harry (either
that, or Harry has actually been living with a hallucination for 17 years
and that hallucination even worked a part-time job). Basically, since
Alessa's world was destroyed and prevented from taking the place of
reality, Alessa couldn't have created anything. But her "soul"
(personality, memories, inner world etc.) could've easily possessed
another child.
Heather's true nature is revealed in LM. We know that Harry used Cheryl's
old papers, but the difference between the two girls was seven years! You
can't just register an infant as seven years old. The child won't be able
to go to school and live a normal life at all. Or was the child Alessa
gave to Harry actually seven years old? Also note that he never reported
Cheryl missing. Now take a good look at LM - Heather is often referred to
as Cheryl in the book ("Thereafter, in order to hide from the cult Cheryl
was called by the assumed name "Heather" and her black hair was dyed
blond"). And if you think of it, Heather doesn't really look 17 - you
could easily say she's 25. Could the developers be hinting at something
here?
It may very well be that Cheryl's body was possessed by a "newborn" soul
that appeared as a result of two halves of Alessa's soul merging together,
while both Cheryl and Alessa's personalities were buried deep inside. In
that case the infant in the cutscene of SH1 is a manifestation of the
"newborn" PERSONALITY in Alessa's world. The information about Heather's
age given in LM give much food for thought and could be a clue to her true
nature.
------------------------------------------------------
Through all her life with Harry, Heather received all his love and care -
everything that Alessa so desperately needed. Thanks to him, Heather was
happy ("I never had a chance... to tell you... To tell you... how happy
you made me"). But despite that, memories of the past buried deep inside
her subconscious still manifested themselves from time to time.
----------------------------------------
b) Memories of previous life.
To better understand the heroine, I have compiled a list of moments, that
are connected to her subconscious memories of her past life.
-- Drawing. In Apartment 102 of Daisy Villa Apts we can find an
interesting drawing, undoubtedly made by Heather. On it are three girls,
all holding hands. In the middle - an older girl with dark hair, on the
left - a little girl with dark hair and on the right - another little girl
with light hair. Remind you of anyone? Yes, these are actually Alessa,
Cheryl and Heather. They are holding hands, representing their chain of
reincarnation.
The drawing can be interpreted as Heather's hazy memories of the past
lives and reincarnations. Maybe the inspiration for it came from a dream?
-- Dolls from the past. Alessa had two favorite dolls (vaguely resembling
the UFO guys %) ) named Scarlett and... "Damn, I forgot the other one's
name!". Since Alessa's identity still exists in Heather's
subconsciousness, she (Heather) sometimes feel nostalgia for that old
life. That led her to buy two dolls in a garage sale. The dolls remain in
her room even now.
-- Sadistic tendencies? After the kidnapping attempt in Portland, Harry
was worried about his daughter's safety, so he bought her a knife and a
shock gun to protect herself with. If you examine the knife, Heather will
say: "I know it's terrible, but I just love walking around with this".
Could Alessa's sadism be manifesting itself in Heather?
-- Mirrors. If you examine the mirror in the beginning of the game,
Heather will say that she doesn't like them: "I don't like mirrors. It's
almost like there's an unknown world right on the other side. And the
person staring at me isn't really me, just an imitator. I know how stupid
that sounds, but that's how I feel. But if I keep thinking about it, it
just makes me feel sick". It's hard to understand that remark on your
first run through the game, but when we learn WHO Heather really is, it
becomes clear. A reflection is a good reminder that she has a darker side.
Of course, such feelings were not at all pleasant, so the items that
caused such feelings became somewhat repulsive too.
-- Churches and hospitals. Along the way, Heather remarks that she hates
hospitals and churches ("God, I hate hospitals! It's not that i like
churches either"). This comes from the memories of what Alessa had to
endure inside a church and a hospital.
-- Un notte. Heather's favorite movie was Un notte, released in 1977. In
particular, she enjoyed the movie's optimistic catchphrase ("Morning
allways comes. It's corny, but it's true. But if your eyes are closed, it
allways feels like night"). Maybe she liked it because her past life
consisted entirely of dark horrible night with only a wish to believe that
someday a bright morning will come?
c) Nightmares
Additionally, Heather is suffering from nightmares. The dream in the mall
wasn't the first one. If we look closely at the girl's face, we can see
large shadows under her eyes (especially in the trailers). Heather seems
to be having sleeping problems - not surprising, considering Alessa. The
nightmares have pursued her all life, since various elements of the
subconscious find their way into dreams and among them - all the memories
and feelings of the past life.
d) Cheryl's personality
Apart from Alessa's memories, at times Heather felt other things from a
previous life. From ANOTHER previous life.
A good example would be her memories of her mother (not Dahlia, of course,
but Harry's late wife) - if you examine Harry's diary, Heather will say:
"But I do have just a trace of one more memory left. I haven't forgotten
my sweet and gentle mother". But we know that by the time Heather's
identity came to be, Harry's wife was already dead - only Cheryl could
remember her... Which means Cheryl's memories live on in Heather (along
with Alessa's memories). Then, could Cheryl's personality also exist in
her subconscious?
---------------------
The girl started exhibiting strange behavior - it was as if memories from
her previous life haunted her, as if Alessa still live inside her ("I
sometimes have the sense even now that, that girl is a reincarnation of
Alessa"). But this would mean that God and the nightmarish world created
by Alessa's ravaged soul still exist in Harry's daughter. Are the horrible
events of SH1 doomed to repeat? Heather's father couldn't risk his beloved
daughter's life and gave her a birthday present: a small medallion (which
contained Aglaophthis, which he saved on Cybil) and told her to always
keep it close ("Dad gave me this pendant on my birthday.When I asked Dad
what it was, he said, "Just a lucky charm." But then he told me to take
good care of it and never take it off") - maybe one day it'll save her
life.
---------------------------------
e) Heather's world-view
Generally, Heather is quite an infantile person, extremely attached to her
father - a kind of "Daddy's girl". As most "happy" people, she isn't
overly intelligent (speaking of "The Fool" Tarot card). She prefers to
have a simple outlook on life, not thinking of anything too deeply. Art
doesn't interest her much and she doesn't understand it (remember what she
said after looking at the "Repressor of Memories" picture? "What the hell
kind of title is that? I don't get this picture at all"). She also doesn't
believe in anything "beyond this reality", such things don't interest her
(like the occult magazine: "Seemed like a bunch of crap to me. It's not so
bad if you just read it for fun, though").
Heather wants the world around her to be as simple and understandable as
possible and doesn't believe (doesn't WANT to believe) in God,
reincarnations, ghosts, monsters etc. In that regard she is a complete
opposite of the credulous Alessa (who believed in UFOs AND ancient evil
demons). That Heather is destined to delve deep into Alessa's deeply
religious, magical and at the same time nightmarish and bloody world - see
and interact with everything that she didn't believe in - is quite ironic.
f) In the world of father's care
Worthy of noting is the decor in the Masons' apartment, Heather's room in
particular, because it reflects its owner's inner world and the life she
has lead before SH3. The room has a sort of nostalgic air about it - we
see many symbols of Alessa's life, but there's little to signify the
existance of today's Heather. No diary, no phone numbers, no photographs
of friends (she didn't seem to even have a boyfriend). It appears that all
of Heather's life revolved around the closed and comfortable world,
created by her caring father (Heather doesn't mention ANYONE - didn't she
have any friends at all?) and a constant attraction to a past life. Maybe
it was the shadow of these past lives that prevented her from starting a
new, normal life?
In any case, living in her small world, Heather became a somewhat
reclusive person, fearing the outside world and its people (she always
carries a knife, as if expecting to be attacked). Notice that during her
first meeting with Douglas, Heather tries to get away from him as soon as
possible ("My Daddy always told me not to talk to strangers") and will
continue to do so even when he is trying to help her. The first half of
the game is practically Heather's attempt to escape from the world to her
home, her father's care ("I'd rather get back home on the double", "I'm
going home", "so close to my home", "My home... My dad!"). But, reclusive
as she is, feelings like compassion are not unknown to her - this is well
illustrated by her pitying the withering plant in Hilltop ("I don't know
what kind of plant this is, but it's withering away. Poor thing..").
Another good indication of the life Heather leads is her appearance -
unkempt hair, dirty clothes... It appeares that she simply doesn't care
about her looks. This is usual for unsociable people with a small sphere
of social contacts. Indeed, why would she need to look good if the only
one who would appreciate that is her father? She also doesn't give much
though to her figure - at the beginning of the game we find her dozing off
in a Happy Burger outlet (which sells greasy unhealthy hamburgers, full of
cholesterol) and later she admits that she loves foods that... one
wouldn't call dietary ("There are boxes of cookies and chocolates on
display. I love this kind of stuff"). We also see that she's not very fit
(she loses her breath after running a very short distance). The overall
sad picture is made complete by her smoking habit, which she somehow found
the strength to give up, fearing ending up in a hospital with cancer ("No
more cigarettes for me!").
Thus, we have shown that Heather Mason is a reclusive person, who lives in
a world of her father's guardianship. She is infantile, full of fears and
her living prospects are obscured at best. Despite that, she didn't want
any other life, didn't want to leave her father. But soon everything would
change and she will be forced to leave the world she's grown accustomed to.
--------------------------
Of course, the happy life couldn't go on forever, Heather couldn't keep
all the memories hidden. And as 17 years passed, Alessa's repressed
personality finally rose up.
It was an oridnary Sunday (or so is said in the official european SH3
manual), Heather went to a shopping mall to buy something for her father
and stopped by at Happy Burger, where she fell asleep.
--------------------------
g) Meaning of the dream
In the dream, Heather finds herself in a nightmarish world of her other
side: Alessa's Lake Side Amusement Park - maybe this dream was a
premonition of sorts.
As we know, dreams are full of symbols and can carry deep meanings - that
is why dream interpretation was popular throughout history. At first
Heather doesn't understand how she got here and looks confusedly at the
knife in her hand - could she have come to an amusement park just to kill
somebody? In any case, she doesn't remember the reason now - as if she
this reason was lost on her way here and she came to the park with a knife
just obeying her fate.
All doors in the park are either closed or lead to dead ends, leaving only
one way - up, but not to Heaven: to the ominous rollercoaster.
In the end she starts walking on the rail - the winding path of life. But
we don't see any side roads. Basically, this means that in her life
Heather has no choice (or rather, she has only one alternative - to jump
off into the abyss, symbolizing death) - all is predestined and hers is to
walk blindly forth, along the rail, obeying Fate. And at the end of the
tunnel we see a light. Is this the light of Salvation? No, it's something
far more ordinary - a car, bringing death. This car is trapped in an
endless cycle of bringing death - in this it is similar to Alessa (which
makes a somewhat funny parallel).
Of course, the rail is Heather's life - she never had a choice, everything
was decided before her and could not be changed. She was doomed to suffer
Alessa's rebirth - but what would that rebirth bring? Paradise and
Salvation, as preached by Claudia? No, just as the meeting with the car,
it would only bring death and suffering.
---------------------------
Heather comes to in the empty Happy Burger. It was just a nightmare, now
she's awake and it's all gone... or so she thinks.
The place is bathed in rays of the setting sun - the sun that used to be
the God of the Silent Hill natives. The setting sun symbolizes the coming
of night - a night for the whole world, maybe? "Even in daytime, darkness
will cover the sun! The dead will walk and martyrs will burn in the fires
of hell! Everyone will DIE!". But there is a deeper meaning - the sun
paints Heather red ("Heather awakens in the blood-like red of the setting
sun" - LM) - the color of death and rebirth.
Nevertheless, Heather could care less about such things, so she leaves the
Happy Burger and finds a payphone to call her father (note the lack of
cellphones in SH3 - a hint at the time period).
Heather: "Dad? It’s me. Yeah. Sorry I didn’t call sooner. Yeah, I guess I
was. Anyway I’m coming home now. Oh, I didn’t get that thing you asked me
to. Okay. Okay, I will. I love you too dad"
Here Heather meets Douglas for the first time. Let us recall their
conversation as it plays a great role in developing Heather's character.
Douglas: Heather. I need to speak with you. My name is Douglas Cartland. I’
m a detective.
Heather: A detective? Really? Well nice talking to ya.
Douglas: Hold on. There’s someone who wants to meet you. Just let me have
an hour, no half an hour of your time.
Heather: My Daddy always told me not to talk to strangers.
Douglas: This is very important. It’s about your birth.
Heather: I’m not interested. Are you still following me? Do I have to
scream?
Douglas: Sorry. I’ll wait here.
We see that Heather is avoiding Douglas and the reason is not just in her
reclusiveness. In this scene, Douglas is the personification of her past -
he wants to speak to Heather of her birth, i.e. of things she's tried so
hard to forget. Basically, escaping Douglas is a kind of a defense
reaction to escape memories of the past. But this time, she won't.
Douglas' words reawaken the "lost memoreis" (note the expression on
Heather's face at that moment) and events begin to unravel at a
frightening pace. After the conversation, Alessa's awakened power
manifests itself and the mall is consumed by her nightmarish world, along
with Heather.
---------------------
h) Alteration
Unlike SH1, the transition of consciousness between the alternate world
doesn't happen suddenly and isn't accompanied by sirens. Heather begins to
see elements of her (Alessa's) world gradually. First the symbol (an
obscure childhood memory), the ambulance (memory of her time in
Alchemilla) and only then blood and monsters. As said by the developers
themselves, this symbolizes the gradual course of memories returning to
the Mother of God, Alessa's awakening and her world in Heather's mind.
Dead ends, locked dorrs, darkness... the lively hum of voices in the mall
and rumbling of cars outside is replaced by an eerie silence, broken only
by footsteps of strange creatures. Along with memories comes fear, her
nerves are growing tense (even a simple poster seems scary - "Something
about this face... It's a little creepy") - she's ready to see a monster.
Searching for an exit, Heather stumbles inside a clothes store and sees a
gun on the floor. Instantly, she grabs it (note that she does it BEFORE
seeing the Closer) and then notices a horrible creature in the corner. The
creature is feeding on a corpse. What to do in such a situation? Run, of
course, run out of the store and call for help. But Heather was frozen
with fear. The only way out was to shoot the creature (or maybe she didn't
run away precisely because she WANTED to shoot it).
After examining the dead creature, she comes to the most comfortable
conclusion, which frees her from any kind of guilt - "It's definitely not
human. It sounds crazy when you say it, but "monster" is the only word for
it". Without a doubt, the situation is pure madness, but the heroine is
convinced in her own "normality" ("I don't think I'm crazy"). It was a
monster and she killed it ("It's a...a... "monster". I...killed it...").
There's nothing wrong with killing a monster, right? As we can see, to
avoid thinking of herself as crazy, Heather has to accept the fact that
monsters exist. She is already beginning to adapt to this world.
i) Claudia
Wandering in the mall, Heather meets another living (but not too healthy)
person - a black-robed woman named Claudia, Alessa's childhood friend. Of
course, Heather doesn't know her (Claudia: "I am Claudia" Heather: "So
what!"), but her appearance works towards awakening God in Heather - that
is why after meeting Claudia Heather experiences a terrible headache,
hears the siren and prayers from her past life. She is finally completely
in Alessa's world.
---------------------
Heather doesn't understand WHY she is in this nightmarish world and why
all this is happening to her, of all people ("If I knew that I wouldn’t be
so confused would I?") - she just wants to get away. Get home, to her
daddy ("I’m taking the subway home"), but she doesn't realize that she
won't escape the nightmare inside her head, she doesn't see (and doesn't
want to) that she is the reason for all this. She is convinced that
Douglas is the one who got her into this and the alternate reality and the
monsters were summoned by Claudia ("Claudia? Right? Did you do all
this?"). She finds it easier to simply blame other and overlooks the
possibility that there might be something wrong with her. Heather plays
the innocent lamb, the victim of the evil Claudia and Douglas ("Maybe I’m
just an innocent bystander but I can’t feel sorry for you, ‘cause you
dragged me into this"), but there is still a feeling that the strange
events really are somehow tied to her. ("I’ve got a weird feeling it’s got
something to do with me")
------------------------
j) Halo of the Sun
While in Alessa's world, Heather sees a mystical sign called Halo of the
Sun drawn on walls (see Part 2-13), the mere sight of which causes an
assault of headache. The reason is simple - HotS is a part of Alessa's
world and looking at it causes the dark side, the memories of the past
life and God to rise up, which is quite painful. But bringing pain is not
the only function of HotS. Since Alessa believed that it symbolizes
reincarnation, in her subconscious world it became a sign of rebirth. A
checkpoint, in layman's terms. That is why should Heather die, she can
always be restored at one of the symbols. Of course, immortality in such a
way isn't bad ("So death isn't the end. Pretty good deal, if you ask me"),
but it is also an eternal cycle of rebirths, accompanied by pain (pain
while saving, pain while dying) and the thought of this doesn't seem nice
to Heather ("But you know... just the thought of it is starting to turn my
stomach").
-----------------------
But after coming home, Heather finds her father dead. How could this
happen? He told her he was the strongest man on Earth and that he would
always protect her. And now he is no more.
Heather's world is crushed. Now she has nowhere to run and wishes only for
revenge ("She won’t get away with what she did. When I find her, I’ll kill
her myself"), to vent out her overwhelming rage and make the one
responsible suffer. Now that she has lost her dearest person, she has no
other goals left.
This is the turning point of SH3's plot. Before, Heather was trying to
escape the nightmare and survive, now she is set on going to Silent Hill,
return to the dark world despite all the danger just to kill Claudia ("I’m
going to Silent Hill.I don’t know what kind of HELL is waiting for me
there, but I’ve got no other choice").
------------------------
k) Cycle of revenge.
"Revenge doesn’t solve anything" - says Douglas Cartland. And he is right,
Claudia's death won't return Harry's life. Harry himself, who had found in
himself to forgive Alessa, would probably not be happy about his
daughter's recklessness ("I'll find that woman and make her pay. I promise
I will. I wonder if my dad would be mad at me for thinking that way").
Maybe killing Claudia will end the nightmare? No, even here Heather is
wrong, thinking that the world and its horrors are Claudia's doing. Then
maybe she's looking to get rid of her agression and finally be at peace?
Of course not. The hatred in Heather's soul will only nurture Alessa's God
and ensure the coming of "Paradise" and Alessa's rebirth. An endless cycle
of revenge, reminiscent of "Hamlet": Harry kills God and takes the
reincarnated Mother - 17 years later he is killed by Claudia as revenge
for stealing Alessa ("Revenge for 17 years ago for one thing. If not for
him our dream would have come true! And then, he took you away from us")
and the Heather tries to avenge his death by killing Claudia. And this
revenge can turn fatal for everyone, triggering a repeat of the events
that happened 17 years ago: "In here is a tragedy - art thou player or
audience? Be as it may, the end doth remain: all go on only toward death"
-----------------------------
Harry left his daughter a peculiar legacy - a history of her dark past, of
her true nature, of everything that she'd rather not know. All this time
Harry was keeping silent about it not because he wanted to keep the girl
on his side (Vincent: "So Harry didn’t tell you anything. I guess he hid
the truth to keep you on his side, eh? That figures. He’s a pretty sneaky
guy"), but because he didn't want to hurt his beloved daughter, didn't
want her to remember her horrible life as Alessa ("I hope this will never
come to any use; maybe it's better if you never know"). But now it is time
for her to learn (remember?) the Ultimate Truth of her past, of her power,
of what happened 17 years ago...
With Douglas' help, Heather goes to Silent Hill to fulfill her bloody wish.
l) The trip to Silent Hill
Again, like 17 years ago, Heather is in car, going to Silent Hill, trying
to remember the events of her past life. She has a headache ("My head is
pounding. Like the worst hangover ever"), but she is not carsick, it is
her memories causing her pain. That is why she answers "No. I'm just
trying to remember" when Douglas expresses his concern.
Things repeat themselves, the carousel makes another turn. But this time
the Mother of God is not holding a sketchbook, but her father's "legacy",
stained with his own blood. And the driver of the car is not Harry... then
again, Douglas looks so much like an older version of Harry. But can he
become a father for our heroine and can she forgive him? Perhaps she opens
up form because she associates him with her father. Douglas is doing his
best to help Heather, because she reminds him of his deceased son, whom he
couldn't save. Two people, who have lost their loved ones are coming
closer. Through their whole trip to Silent Hill it's raining and sad music
is playing on the radio to emphasize the mood.
----------------------
Upon arriving in town, Heather goes to search for Leonard in Brookhaven
Hospital. But even though Leonard does not share his daughter's beliefs
("Now Claudia's ridiculous dream is over. Well, I guess it's time to
dispose of her"), he is no ally. He wishes for a Paradise, where only the
chosen may enter and this view is not exactly the same as Heather's.
------------------------------------------
m) I don't want any part of that Paradise!
Does our heroine want the "Paradise" to take over the world? The answer
should be obvious to anyone who has played SH3 - NO, SHE DOESN'T. What are
the reasons behind such conviction?
Heather was happy with her life, where a caring father protected her from
any harm and it formed her conformist nature. She doesn't have anything
against the world and doesn't really want it to change ("I don’t need
another world. It’s fine the way it is"). Moreover, the coming of Paradise
will inevitably cause her to die, being replaced by Alessa - is making
everyone else happy worth that? But conformism and egoism are not the only
reasons for her to oppose the coming of "Paradise".
For the last 17 years Alessa and her "Paradise" had been in Heather's
subconsciousness, so deep down she knows the exact nature of this
nightmarish world. She knows that Alessa's "Paradise" is in fact a bloody
nightmare, born of tormented teenage girl's mind, a vision of hell
(Claudia's belief is nothing more than a part of her idealisation of
Alessa) - such a world would not make anyone happy. And Heather doesn't
want anybody to feel the pain this world brings. That is why she opposes
it.
---------------------
Learning of the Mother's treason, the quick-tempered Leonard attacks her.
In turn, she sees him as a monster and with a sly smile and no guilt kills
him ("Well, I guess you’re not a person anyway").
After that, Heather picks up the Seal of Metatron and at Vincent's advice
made her way to the cult's church through the amusement park.
--------------------------------------
n) The differences between the real LSAP and the dream.
The main difference from the dream is that this time Heather is able to
cut the power to the tracks and presumably stop the car (we know what it
symbolizes). But all is in vain - just as Alessa's personality awakened
despite Harry's precautions, the dead car was going. What is Heather to
do? She has but two alternatives - to jump off the rollercoaster and
probably die (practically, commit suicide) or let the "Light of Salvation"
reach her. Heather chooses the former.
Ironically, she survives the fall. Even though her fate seemed sealed,
Heather makes one last desperate and insane attempt to avoid it - and she
succeeds! What seemed to be suicide proved to be the right decision.
Moral: never resign to your fate - sometimes it's better to seize the
initiative and take a chance, because at times, suicide may be the only
way out.
o) Suicidal tendencies
And so, Heather already knows that she is the reason all this jumble of
worlds is happening. Then, maybe, the best way out would be to kill
herself? This could possibly destroy Alessa's world, freeing her from the
suffering, which is sure to follow after birthing God? "Maybe killing you
here is the only way to end this nightmare" "Yeah, you might be right"
(though she forgot about the "Continue" option, but eh...). This
conversation brings us to LSAP and the level's main theme seems to be
suicide ("Don’t be afraid. Dying is much easier than living") so it's no
big surprise that on the Happy Carousel Heather meets the manifestation of
Alessa's suicidal thoughs, which were tied to this place.
Many years ago Alessa, tortured by her mother, wished only to end the
suffering. Wished for death... And now this wish takes the form of "Dark
Alessa", which attacks Heather, trying to "help" her, free her from the
suffering through death. Even after being defeated, it reappears with a
new weapon and attacks again - according to LM, this means to show us how
desperate Alessa was, how strong her desire to die was.
We understand that the battle with "Memory of Alessa" takes place only in
Heather's head, it is an allegorical battle between the will to live and
the will to die. After defeating FOUR incarnations of "Memory of Alessa"
(in Japanese culture this number is associated with death), the will to
live finally prevails.
----------------------------------
Finally, Heather reaches the cult's, where Claudia awaits. The goal is so
near, her heart is filled with anger and hatred towards the murderer of
her father ("You despise me, don’t you?" - "You’re damn right I do!") and
with this, God inside draws closer and closer to birth. But what will the
much-desired revenge achieve? The conclusion of the story is at hand.
-------------------------
p) The Birth
If our heroine's hatred is so great that she decides to kill Claudia, this
negative emotion will be more than enough to birth God. We see Heather's
body being covered in dark splotches (the rebirth of Alessa) as she drops
to her knees in agony.
Now Claudia's childhood dream will come true - Salvation and Paradise have
come. But Heather will not know them. And we can only feel sorry for
Claudia, who is now doomed to eternally live in the nightmare that she
herself worked so hard to summon.
-------------------------
Confronting Claudia in the final room of the church, Heather first tries
to use the Seal of Metatron, but it doesn't work. Heather herself didn't
believe in its power, because she didn't believe in magical artifacts
(even the old book given to her by Vincent failed to convince her!). But
she still has the medallion from her father. The one with the aglaophtis.
And it works - it may be because of Alessa's religious beliefs, but it may
also because of Heather's faith in her father.
One way or another, Heather is finally free of Alessa's hatred and God
(which is precisely the manifestation of these feelings) is expulsed from
her body. The only thing left now is to destroy "Her" once and for all.
But Claudia cannot allow this - killing God would mean killing the
personality of her beloved sister, destroying everything she's worked so
hard to achieve. And the priestess takes up the role of the Mother of God
- Alessa's psychic energy finds a new host. The subconscious worlds of
Claudia and Alessa merge, suffering merges with hatred, giving birth to a
new God.
---------------------
q) God
Despite Claudia's interference, the meaning of God's existance remains the
same - it is a strange creature, that appears to be an embodyment of
hatred and death. What changes is its appearance, because the energies of
Alessa's subconscious hatred mixes with Claudia's delusions, desires and
memories, so now God bears the face of Alessa (because Claudia believed
that God would have to look like Alessa), but the body of the demon from
SH1 (because she "ingested" Alessa's beliefs). As before, God can create
flames, which is a representation Alessa's pain in the fire.
"THIS is God...?" - asks the astounded Heather. Obviously, such a God
would never create a Paradise.
---------------------
Now Heather has to defeat not just Alessa's God, but an amalgamation of
the negative emotions of two people. She has to do it: for herself, her
father and for Claudia ("This is for Dad... and for myself. And... for
Claudia, too"). After a long battle, she finally emerges victorious. The
deformed creature is dead, but she still kicks it several times to release
all her hatred. After this, the stress of the events gets the better of
her and she collapses in tears. Then, as if feeling a sudden presence, she
turns around... And WHAT does she see? How will this story end? This
depends on your actions in the course of the game.
-----------------------
r) Normal Ending
After the final battle, Heather returns to LSAP, where Douglas is waiting
for her. She decides to play a joke on the detective (didn't she think he
could've easily shot her?). We see that she is no longer burdened by her
past and asks him to call her by the name her father gave - "Cheryl". It
seems that a great load has finally come off her shoulders. We can
theorize that later Cartland will adopt her and they will lead a happy
life, just like the Good Ending in SH1.
But if everything repeats itself... was Heather really able to completely
repress Alessa's personality?
The final question is what she saw after defeating God? After thinking of
her father, what could it be, that eased the pain of loss? Maybe, just
before the Otherworld dissipated, she saw a vision of Harry Mason and
realized, that her father will be with her forever, living in her heart?
s) Posessed ending
This ending is only available if you've been killing monsters throughout
all of the game (increasing Heather's agression), received a lot of damage
(increasing Heather's suffering) and forgive the woman in the church
(indicates lack of repentance for revenge). This means that the events of
the game gave God such power, that now he cannot be stopped... Heather is
doomed.
God is dead, but she still kicks it several times to release all her
hatred. After this, the stress of the events gets the better of her and
she collapses in tears. Then, as if feeling a sudden presence, she turns
around and sees... most likely she saw God reborn from all the hatred and
pain.
She becomes possessed by Alessa's hatred, returns to LSAP and kills
Douglas (he probably never found the strength to shoot her, even when she
attacked him). Well... now the events of SH1 will repeat and the town will
again be consumed by the darkness of Alessa's nightmarish world.
----------------------
I will not say, which ending is the Ultimate Truth, because uncertainty is
the worst torture. That is why the developers have doomed you, my dear
reader, to eternally wander in this mist of conjectures.
I will only say that after the events of SH3 the power of the town changes
dramatically. Virtually nothing is heard about the Silent Hill cult since
then ("the cult itself is gone") and town becomes abandoned, while people
who somehow find themselves in the town start seeing monsters from
Alessa\Heather's world. What could this mean, hmmm?
----------------------
t) The Fool (Tarot card analysis)
According to Hiroyuki Owaku's commentary, each major SH3 character had a
personal Tarot card assigned to them. In Alessa's "sick room" Heather
finds her own card - 0, The Fool. What does this card symbolize? Possibly,
by associating her with a fool, the authors tried to show, that despite
her age (24), her psychological development is more suitable for a
17-year-old? Or it could be reference to her obscured consciousness. Well,
not exactly. Let us look closer at the card.
The Fool represents the power of Fate. It symbolizes that the outcome is
not controlled by the person - practically, the heroine in SH3 had no
choice, everything was predestined, she was doomed to suffer Alessa's
rebirth (remember the closed cycle of the rollercoaster track).
So, what do we see in the Fool of SH3? A man, blindly marching forward
(traditionnaly, he is depicted as going towards a chasm - i.e. the Fool
doesn't see where he's going). He is going in the direction of the sun -
towards God. He is followed by a DOG, that is constantly biting at his
feet, not letting him stray from his way (constant follower = Valtiel) and
on the Fool's back is a bag, which is always interpreted as the burden of
past mistakes and delusions, which must be worked off to open the eyes and
see the road again. To gain the ability to choose. Appropriate for our
heroine, no?
In a personal sense, The Fool symbolizes a simple soul (remember Heather's
outlook on life) and signifies naivete (thus, "power of Fate"), innocence,
but at the sime time great potential, great beginning, change.
I think, the parallels are more than obvious.
u) Fun Facts
Quote: I know there’s something... Something I’ve been running from and
forgot for a long time...
Metaphor: Walking on the rails of life with a heavy burden
Symbol: "The Fool" Tarot card
Music: You're not here, Letter from the lost days, I want love
Name: She was originally to be named Helen, but the name was deemed to
old-fashioned (or a potential reference to Clock Tower). Since they had
little time, the developers quickly renamed her after Heather Morris, the
actress who did her voice. Also, the name may be a possible part of some
sort of color code: "Black Dahlia" - "White Claudia" - "Pink Heather".
Appearance commentary: She was supposed to be the epitome of innocence,
but players prefer non-ideal character, who have flaws - in appearance, in
character (Maria would be a good example)... That is why the innocent
"Helen" was given a more earthly appearance: spots under her eyes, dirty
clothes and a somewhat greater sexuality. Additionally, she was supposed
to be wearing jeans at first, but the women of Team Silent convinced
Shingo Yuri to change that to a skirt. A matter of great discussion was
her hair - as a result, Heather's hair became a little curly, although
that wasn't in the original artworks.
According to the developers' actresses such as Charlotte Gainsbourg,
Vanessa Paradis and Sophie Marceau greatly influenced the early sketches
of Heather's face.
Actress: Heather Morris. Little is known about her.
-You can see her in the "Making of SH3" movie.
-She isn't a blonde.
-John Anthony Mathewson (known for his fan-soundtrack "Broken Notes")
wanted to marry her.
3-3. DOUGLAS CARTLAND
Age: older than 50
Occupation: private investigator
Lives in: California (see license plate)
Since he lost his wife 10 years ago (LM tells us that he is a widower and
he himself says that nobody would cry over his grave, but on the other
hand LM also says that they divorced right after he left the police 10
years ago. Probably, his wife died a short time after the divorce.), he
had to take after his son alone. But what could a poor private detective,
who's always away on investigations, give to a child? Neither attention,
nor money. Probably, this was the main reason for the rift that appeared
between father and son ("his pop was a penniless good-for-nothing").
Cartland Jr. tried to be the exact opposite of his loser father and became
involved with bad people. He ended up taking part in a bank heist, which
ended with him being shot.
Of course, Douglas couldn't have helped him, but he still felt guilty for
his death. If he had more money, if he could devote more time to his only
son, the boy wouldn't have gotten himself in trouble - everything would've
been different. Douglas has always wanted to be Superman, save lives, help
people (that is why he became a detective) but in the end he couldn't even
save his wife and child. Now he is destined to live out his life alone,
with a heart full of guilt.
--------------------------------
a) Douglas and Silent Hill
In his line of work, Douglas heard many rumors about a strange town called
Silent Hill. Ever since the disappearance of the "Little Baroness" and the
mysterious deaths, the town's had a bad reputation. But one day he
actually had to go there himself on a missing person case (the pay must've
been good if he agreed to go all the way from California to Maine). He
didn't find anything, but there really was something wrong with the town -
he felt it ("I’ll tell ya, that’s one screwed up town"). And he probably
felt it on his own skin - he carries the haunting guilt from losing his
son and we know what Silent Hill does to people with darkness in their
hearts. It's no surprise that he's tried to avoid the town (note that he
says he'd been there only ONCE), but soon he will have to come back.
----------------------------
Sometime ago, Douglas was commissioned by Claudia Wolf to find a girl, who
was kidnapped by one Harry Mason 17 years ago. The name of the girl was
supposed to be Alessa Gillespie. It turned out to be a dead case - the
only lead was in Silent Hill papers, which stated that a girl with that
name died in a fire 24 years ago and the client probably just couldn't
accept the loss of a close person.
After a long search, he finally finds Harry Mason and his daughter, who
are now living under fake names in Ashfield. They must be hiding
someting... Alessa Gillespie is supposed to be 31 by now, but the client
believed that the girl couldn't be older than 17. Nevertheless, according
to all records the age of Mason's daughter is 24. Maybe she really is his
daughter and Wolf is just chasing phantoms? In any case, this should not
concern him. He just needs to arrange for the two women to meet - his job
will be over then.
-----------------------------------
b) Secret agreement
There was another commission. Not long before Douglas informed his client
that he had found Alessa and presented her with a photo, another important
member of the cult, Vincent, secretly offered him a bigger sum to get rid
of the "Holy One" if strange things begin to happen ("Find the "Holy One".
Kill her?" is written on the back side of Heather's photo, which was
obviously taken by the private detective). Could the respectable detective
agree to such a criminal deal? In the course of the game we learn exactly
what he told Vincent, but the scene where he almost shoots Heather is
certainly not a coincidence.
----------------------------------
We first meet Douglas in the Ashfield shopping mall - the pesky detective
is trying to get her to see somebody ("Hold on. There’s someone who wants
to meet you. Just let me have an hour, no half an hour of your time. This
is very important. It’s about your birth"), but she runs away from him
after a short conversation and hides in the toilet. Strange, doesn't she
want to know the truth about her birth and meet a childhood friend?
Douglas shouldn't have said anything about birth. The "Mother of God"
begins to recall her "lost memories" and her power grows dramatically,
engulfing the mall in darkness. Douglas is also trapped in the nightmarish
world and sees monsters ("And that monster, what the hell was that?").
---------------------------
c) Mystery of the gun
So, what was Douglas doing between his first meeting with Heather and her
victory over the Splitworm?
It is strange, but in a clothes store, Heather finds a pistol that looks
exactly the same as that carried by Douglas (could he have dropped one of
his guns? Cybil in SH1 also has two). And it has only seven bullets in it.
Where's the other three? Who was the original owner shooting at? And
there's also a body in the store... Was this person killed by the Closer
or with that gun? And Douglas later mentions seeing a monster and later
even he tell Claudia that he has killed before... And later Vincent tells
us that monsters are...
--------------------------
After the boss fight, we once again meet Douglas. He is shocked by the
recent events and cannot explain them. But something is telling him that
the reason for all this is the "holy one" girl. But, befitting a
detective, Douglas keeps his ideas for himself, carefully asking Heather
"What’s so special about you anyway?"
But Heather sees in him another enemy, she thinks he is on Claudia's side
("It’s you... You must be one of them! You’re in on this with that
Claudia, aren’t you?") and that he got her into this ("I can’t feel sorry
for you, ‘cause you dragged me into this. If you hadn’t found me...") and
escapes into the subway.
Next time we meet Douglas in the Masons' apartment...
How did he get in anyway?
------------------------
d) Friend or foe?
Note that Douglas is always following Heather. First in the mall, then he
comes to her home, then volunteers to take her to Silent Hill. But we
never see any "combat" help from him (he didn't even help Heather against
the Missionary, even though he remained in the apartment long enough to
search Harry's body). It's as if he is only an observer, who follows
Heather around, doing nothing. (Just like Valtiel, only Valtiel follows
Heather in the Otherworld)
Perhaps he cares about her, but maybe he's got something on his mind?
Maybe he's just following her to see whether he should kill her or not?
Who is he? Friend? Foe? An innocnt bystander or Claudia's ally? Or a
treacherous murderer, looking for a good chance to shoot her in the back?
But we know the answer. Even when Heather attacks him (Normal\Possessed
Ending), he doesn't kill her. So he is a friend. The young girl reminds
him of his own son ("You... you remind me of my son" - says Douglas) and
he also feels partially guilty for her father's death ("Besides I’m partly
responsible for this") so now he's trying to help her to atone for his
past failings.
-------------------
At first Heather vents her anger on him (was the missionary not enough?),
blames him for all that's happening ("Get out! This is all your fault!! If
it weren’t for you..."), but he manages to calm her down, helps her lay
Harry on the bed and offers to give her a ride to Silent Hill (he makes up
a confused face and asks "What's in Silent Hill?" but we know better after
reading his notebook in LSAP). After some though, she finally accepts his
offer. Maybe that is because he reminds her of her deceased father?
------------------------------
e) Meeting at the car
Cartland leaves the Masons' apartment to get the car ready, but also to
let Heather be alone with herself for a while. Now she has to leave her
former life behind, she is ready for revenge, for the trip to Silent Hill
and they meet up at the entrance to the Daisy Villa Apartment Building.
And again, the detective's actions are confusing. He somehow got Harry's
"legacy", which, he says, he took from Harry. But when did he search the
body? He also says that just now he "met a guy named Vincent". As if he
had never heard of this Vincent before - in reality, they had met each
other (Heather's photo in Hilltop is evidence of this). It seems as if the
whole thing was planned by Vincent in advance and he used Douglas to
execute his plans:
-The trip to Silent Hill: Vincent could've told Douglas to follow Heather
("Find the Holy One. Kill Her?")
-Stopping at a certain room in a certain motel - how could Vincent have
known WHERE they stopped, if he didn't tell Douglas where to beforehand?
-Looking for Leonard. Vincent gave that idea to Douglas.
-The way to the church. Vincent tells Douglas to go to LSAP and then
convinces Heather that Cartland asked her to go through the park to the
church.
I'd say these are spy games worthy of Metal Gear Solid
f) The trip to Silent Hill
Again, like 17 years ago, Heather is in car, going to Silent Hill, trying
to remember the events of her past life.
Things repeat themselves, the carousel makes another turn. But this time
the Mother of God is not holding a sketchbook, but her father's "legacy",
stained with his own blood. And the driver of the car is not Harry... then
again, Douglas looks so much like an older version of Harry. But can he
become a father for our heroine and can she forgive him? Perhaps she opens
up form because she associates him with her father. Douglas is doing his
best to help Heather, because she reminds him of his deceased son, whom he
couldn't save. Notice his caring, almost fatherly attitude towards her: he
asks her if she is cold, if she is feeling well and tries not to offend
her in any way ("Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you")...
Two people, who have lost their loved ones are coming closer. Through
their whole trip to Silent Hill it's raining and sad music is playing on
the radio to emphasize the mood.
-----------------------------
Arriving in Silent Hill, Douglas goes to Leonard's home and asks Heather
to look in the Brookhaven hospital (where Leonard was interred), giving
her the only map of the town. He's worried about her, asking if she's
going to be alright - more examples of his "fatherly" behavior. It's not
surprising that Heather finally feels it and retorts - "I’m not a child,
you know". It is also possible that Douglas himself is afraid to be left
alone. He's lost his wife and his only son, his life became a living
nightmare - can he now bear losing his "newly-found daughter"? Even if
killing her is the only way to save the world from the coming of God? And
this world... he has never seen anything more horrible in his whole life,
which was quite long, but he's getting the feeling that it's just a
nightmare. Better wake up soon and get a smoke... But what if the only way
to wake up is to kill Heather?
Thinking of that, Cartland leaves Jack's Inn. We don't know what happened
to him during his search for Leonard, but when he got back, he encountered
Vincent, who told him to go to the church through LSAP and maybe asked him
to "remove" somebody ("What do I want? Well, for the two of you to die.
That would be nice. Then I could relax")...
By the time Douglas arrives in LSAP, the influence of Alessa\Heather's
world has grown so much that he sees the Otherworld version of the park.
There he meets his original client - Claudia Wolf. In awe she awaits the
Rebirth of Paradise, and of her childhood friend Alessa. Two lonely people
with different worldviews come into conflict. Douglas, wishing only good
for his new "daughter" and Claudia, desiring the return of the only person
in the world, who could understand her - her beloved "sister".
Cartland accuses Claudia of lying ("You lied to me about Heather, lady") -
she told him that Alessa was kidnapped by Mason, but in reality she was
happy with her father and the memory of her past life didn't bring her any
joy. He thinks she used him ("I don’t like being used") to hurt Heather
and bring the nightmarish world to life. Claudia, on the other hand,
believes that she's doing the right thing - she believes that Paradise is
what Heather's true personality desires, and thus - her Fate, her destiny.
She also believes that Alessa's Rebirth will bring happiness to all people
- create a world with no pain, no war, no hunger. Both of them justify
their goals, but Alessa's return means Heather's death and vice versa.
There is no peaceful resolution for this - Douglas and Claudia are forever
locked in conflict. The detective laughs at his opponent's idealistic
dream and points a gun at her. Yes, he would kill the priestess without
remorse to finally put an end to his loneliness and prevent the coming of
"Paradise". After all, he's killed before.
Religious dispute resulting in violence... Just like the story of Leonard
Wolf
-------------------------------------------
f) What happened to Douglas?
When Douglas is pointing his gun a Claudia and says "I've done it before"
we don't see even a shade of fear on her face - she is only pitying the
sinner, who is unable to comprehend the Truth... God punishes sinners.
Next time we see Douglas on the ground, bleeding from a neck wound. What
happened to him? The answer is his phrase: "But if THIS is how a god of
mercy acts, I don’t want to see any more of him". Douglas was punished by
God herself? In LM and SH3 it gradually becomes known that Claudia also
underwent the "Mother of God" "training" and, like Alessa, possessed some
sort of power - her own detailed subconscious world and great powers of
suggestions. Probably, Douglas was drawn into her world, where her God
punished him according to her beliefs. It could be that Douglas, thinking
that he is being attacked by some kind of God, actually shot himself in
the leg. But, these are just guesses. Claudia could just have another
cultist to help her.
-------------------------------------------
When Heather next sees the wounded Douglas, we see her as a caring
daughter - she is worried about him ("Are you hurt?.... You... you old
fool! Getting yourself hurt like that.. What’ll I do if you die?"), she
even forgets where she is and almost goes to call an ambulance. Now it is
time for Douglas to open up to her and tell her of his loneliness.
But when she turns around, he aims his gun at her... (reminiscent of the
scene in SH1, where Cybil attacks Harry) he has always wanted to be
Superman and now is his chance to fulfilll the dream, save the world with
a single shot. Just one shot, and the world would be safe from the
"Paradise". But only at the cost of Heather, the person who became a
daughter for him. He wants to kill her not because Vincent told him, but
to ease her suffering and save the world ("Maybe killing you here is the
only way to end this nightmare..."). But even if the nightmare ends with
her death, how will he live on? Alone still? The world itself will become
a nightmare, so there is no difference - either the lifeless world of
Alessa's nightmares or endless pointless reality.
Douglas can't pull the trigger. And Heather walks away towards the church
to finally confront her dark past.
----------------------------
g) Normal Ending
After the final battle, Heather returns to LSAP, where Douglas is waiting
for her. She decides to play a joke on the detective - this is the
developers' way of showing how deeply he cares about her: if he shot her,
he would've destroyed his own happiness (and probably take the next bullet
himself), but he only mutters "Heather... oh, Heather... no...", he
doesn't even consider killing her, even in self-defence. We see how dear
she is to him. She asks him to call her by the name her father gave -
"Cheryl". We can theorize that later Cartland will adopt her and they will
lead a happy life, just like the Good Ending in SH1.
But if everything repeats itself... was Heather really able to completely
repress Alessa's personality? Did Valtiel stop turning the cycle of
rebirth? Perhaps, Douglas is now doomed to repeat Harry's fate?
h) Possessed Ending
Heather becomes possessed by Alessa's hatred and upon returning to LSAP
kills Douglas. Now the events of SH1 will repeat themselves, only now
there will be no cult, no life at all. Just blood and monsters... and in
the center of it - the hateful Mother of God, enjoying the Hell she has
created. What of Douglas? Will he finally find peace, or is he doomed to
become a prisoner in Alessa's world, eternally suffering in the purifying
flame?
i) The Hanged Man (Tarot card analysis)
What does the Hanged Man symbolize? Let's take a closer look at the
illustration. It's quite sad: a hanged man and no one around. This
loneliness is further emphasized in Alessa's poem:
"The upside-down man under the ground:
To his right, to his left, there's no one around.
Leave him alone, though his tears are profound"
The Hanged Man's loneliness is Douglas' loneliness. To his right, to his
left, there's no one around - he has lost both his wife and son. No wonder
we find this card in the morgue - it is another reference to death.
Going ahead, the man is hanging upside down, his right leg is tied to the
gallows and Douglas was wounded in his right leg in LSAP.
The theme of this card is self-sacrifice. The will to sacrifice anything
for the sake of those dear to you - quite appropriate for Cartland's
"Superman" ideals. Once attempting to sacrifice himself and ending up tied
up, he was unable to help anyone - just as Douglas once tried to help
Heather and ended up with an injured leg, losing his ability to help her
in any way ("in the end is not of any help at all" - LM).
j) Fun Facts
Quote: No one’s going to cry over my grave anyway.
Metaphor: Hanged Superman
Symbol: "The Hanged Man" Tarot card
Music: "Never forgive me, never forget me"; "I Want Love"
Name: The name was borrowed from a famous 1920s actor Douglas Fairbanks.
No connection is made, just an old-fashioned name that would sound good
for an old detective.
Appearance commentary: Douglas was also not supposed to be an ideal hero.
The "Superman" was given old-fashion and worn clothes and an appropriate
face. Douglas is not without his complexes: if you look at his head,
you'll notice that he is balding and combs his hair back to hide that
fact. The hat probably serves a similar purpose. According to the Making
of SH3 movie, Douglas was modelled after such actors as Ian Holm and
Giancarlo Giannini.
Actor: Douglas was voiced by Richard Grosse. He died of liver failure soon
after SH3 was finished.
3-4. CLAUDIA WOLF
Age: 29
Occupation: Order priestess
Lives in: Cult church
Claudia Wolf's childhood was one full of pain. Her father, a member of the
cult, forcefully tried to instill his beliefs of "salvation for the
chosen" in her. Leonard did not love his daughter. Putting religious
ideals above everything else, he did terrible things to her ("the memories
of his cruelty is forever burned into my mind") trying to bring up the
ideal believer, who would build a Paradise for the chosen.
But Claudia was not completely alone in her misfortune. One day she met a
girl name Alessa Gillespie, who was also mistreated by her mother, who was
trying to raise a Mother of God (their meeting was probably a result of
Dahlia and Leonard's friendship). The soon became best friends. Whenever
Leonard decided to visit his fellow cult member, Claudia never missed a
chance to see Alessa and spent a lot of time at the Gillespie home.
Alessa's room is a place of bright memories for both girls. It was their
own corner, their own Paradise. Together they could forget about their
suffering for a while. The played cards (Claudia's inherent honesty
prevented her from cheating, so she always lost), read fairytales, played
with dolls, imagined their ideal parents, a school, where they could have
fun, an ideal world, where everyone would be happy. Together they dreamed
of what they would never have and they were like sisters to each other
("To little Claudia. Happy 6th Birthday I love you as if you were my real
sister. Here's to you!"). Alessa meant everything to Claudia, the only
person who understood her. But one day a fire burst out in Dahlia's house.
It took Alessa's life and left Claudia with only memories. The Paradise
was gone. Claudia couldn't accept the fact that she would never again see
her beloved sister. Listening to Dahlia's preachings ("She was totally
brainwashed by that crazy old hag"), she began to believe that Alessa
really did carry God inside her and cannot die. Then the happiness can
still return. And the events that happened seven years after the fire only
served to reinforce Claudia's faith.
As time passed, though, nothing changed. Leonard's beatings continued, but
Claudia could endure anything to meet with Alessa again. Her faith was the
only thing that kept her going, kept her from falling into despair -
without her faith her life would lose all meaning. She never felt hatred
towards the world that couldn't understand her. She knew that compassion
is born of suffering. And knowing suffering, she did not want to hurt
anyone, even her sadistic father. She wished only for her sister's return,
which would make everyone happy, not just Claudia, by creating Paradise,
where everyone would be happy, never in pain, never suffering (it could be
that she delberately formed her beliefs to be the opposite of her elitist
father, but it is also undoubtedly evidence of her compassionate nature).
In short, Claudia believed that Alessa's return would bring happiness to
humanity.Could she know what was really going on inside her friend's head?
Could she know that the Paradise she so longed for was a bloody nightmare?
Several years before the events of SH3, Leonard was taken to the
Brookhaven mental clinic for murdering a man in a religious discussion.
His post in the Order is taken by Claudia. Along with a young priest named
Vincent, she reforms the Silent Hill religion, adding to it Christian
elements, which makes the cult much more popular.
-----------------------
a) Saint Alessa
As we learn from the cult library, Claudia has changed the image of the
cult's deity. Now God has taken the form of Alessa, because the priestess
believed in her "sister"'s divinity and that in the Mother of God will
carry not a hairy evil demon, but Alessa. This is reflected in the
portrait - "St. Alessa. Mother of God, Daughter of God". The portrait
depicts Alessa holding an child. The child is supposed to be God, but if
you take a closer look you will see that it is also Alessa (Alessa=God).
Also, according to the plaque, Alessa is the daughter of God, but at the
same time Her mother. This is a result of God merging with Alessa in
Claudia's mind.
-------------------------
The religious organization began to grow and prosper, bringing great
riches to its founders. But money didn't interest Claudia. All this time
she had lived in a small stuffy room in the church, leading an ascetic
life and keeping the old postcard from Alessa ("So she was still hanging
onto this..."). Remembering her hard childhood and knowing of the world's
horrors, she spent her time reading books ("I was free all day, so I read
'A Modern History of Refugees' and 'Young Slaves: Child Exploitation'. I
don't want to be a mere bystander in this world. I can't do anything now,
though, and that's what's hard"). Claudia's desire to change the world for
the better shows her altruistic side.
But despite Claudia's high position and her almost maniacal kindness,
nobody fully understood her, fearing the purity and strength of her faith.
There were even rumors that she had the same powers as Alessa ("I don’t
have powers like you two").
Unable to abandon her childhood dream, Claudia does all she can to find
her "sister". She hires a private detective named Douglas Cartland to
search for her. Surely, Alessa didn't die, she was just reborn. But even
if she find the Mother's new body, what would she do? How would she make
her remember who she really is and take a step towards Paradise? This is
where Father Vincent came along, giving her "The Book of Praise", which
contained a way to make the process of the Mother's rebirth faster. The
way was to make her feel pain and hatred. Claudia is shocked ("It's much
too cruel"), but it is the only way. When Paradise comes, she can be with
her sister forever. Claudia's was much reinforced by Alessa's apparent
desire for the coming of Paradise. Once, she told Claudia that she wanted
the world to be purified in flame (she probably meant burning all people,
whom she hated, but Claudia would never think THAT of her "sister"). Yes,
seeing Alessa once again and making everyone in the world happy was worth
it. Claudia makes her decision.
Finally, the detective finds Alessa. Claudia is overjoyed. She has been
waiting for this more than 20 years. All this time, the Holy One has lived
not far from Silent Hill - in Ashfield. With the man, who took her from
Claudia. Overwhelmed with hope, Claudia leaves for Ashfield to meet with
her "sister".
Claudia first meets Holy Mother outside in the hallway outside the book
store. But it turns out that the Mother of God neither remembers her life,
nor understands her purpose. Claudia's face expresses her pain at seeing
that Alessa forgot. She gives her her name ("I am Claudia") hoping that
she will remember, but Heather is only annoyed - "So what!?". However,
when she mentions God, Heather is overtaken by a sudden bout of headache,
caused her resurfacing memories of her past life. Claudia is visibly
smiling when this is happening - she has succeeded in awakening the "Lost
Memories" in Heather's subconscious. Alessa's return and universal
happiness grow ever closer. With these thoughts Claudia makes her way to
the Masons' apartment, to fill the Mother's heart with hatred.
-----------------------------------------------
b) Claudia's speech
Note that Claudia always calls Heather Alessa. That is because she thinks
Heather just a shell and adresses what she thinks is the true personality
inside her - the personality of Alessa, hidden deep down in the girl's
subconscious.
c) Claudia's influence on the Otherworld.
We know that both Claudia and Alessa were "trained" to take the role of
the Mother of God. Thus, both experienced great pain and suffering in
their childhood. In the library Vincent mentions that they both have
powers and in his talk with Claudia he even theorizes that the nightmarish
world is her own ("Isn’t this nothing more than your own personal
nightmare? Just like Alessa 17 years ago"). Claudia also had the gift of
premonition (she predicted the coming of Paradise when she was a child and
Vincent says that "her sight rarely fails her") and could manipulate other
people's perceptions ("It seems that she can manipulate the hearts and
minds of believers" - LM). These could all be manifestations of her
psychic powers.
It's not hard to conclude that both Alessa and Claudia had an inner world,
which could affect other people (just like all characters in SH2 had inner
wrolds) and these worlds merged, so what we see in SH3 is not just a mix
of reality and Alessa\Heather's world, but a mix of reality and both of
these inner worlds.
d) Door plaques
Notice that after the first meeting with Claudia, the names of all stores
on the door plaques change.
-The "Paradise Noon" cafe changes to "Cafe Tirn Aill", which is a
reference to celtic mythology.
- "Jewelry Catedral"
- Iggr-Drasill - a reference to Scandinavian mythology
- Nornen is a reference to the Norns in Norse mythology, who represent the
past, the present and the future and measure the time of each mortal man's
life.
These changes are due to the influence of Claudia's world.
e) Shakespeare Puzzle
Worthy of note is the Shakespeare puzzle in the book store. We know that
Heather has never read all of those Shakespeare books, so this puzzle
can't be an element of her subconscious world. It is only logical to
assume that it is, in fact, another result of Claudia's influence. What is
the meaning of the puzzle? In a tragedy, where the only end is death, good
an evil switch places ("Fair is foul and foul is fair"), black becomes
white and white become black ("a game of turning white to black and black
to white"). The puzzle fits with Claudia's story quite well - her good
intentions lead to tragedy, which can end with death. The one wishing
happiness to all people becomes negative character.
f) How does Claudia see the Otherworld?
According to Hiroyuki Owaku's commentary, one of the main themes of Silent
Hill is subjective perception. Basically, every person sees the world
differently. So, how does Claudia see the world around her? It is pretty
obvious that she and Heather do not see the same things, otherwise Claudia
would've quickly realized what kind of Paradise she's trying to create.
One could say that the subconscious world is a reflection of the human
soul and Claudia's soul bears no darkness - thus, her inner world would
probably be similar to her conception of Paradise. It is unknown how she
sees monsters - she says that "They've come to witness the beginning" and
never calls them monsters. Maybe she sees fantastic creatures of Paradise
or, like Vincent, normal people?
-----------------------------------------------
Claudia doesn't kill Harry herself (even though she probably could do
that, considering her powers) and orders the cult member -- Missionary --
to do it. Later it becomes clear that she only did that because a murder
is too great a sin for her. She felt mustn't kill anybody, but had to do
it for the good of all. Which doesn't make her any less guilty.
After killing Harry, she awaits Heather's arrival to tell her that she
killed her father (to fill her heart with hatred) and remind her of her
former identity ("You must try to remember me, and your true self as well.
You will birth a God and build an eternal Paradise") and to lure her to
Silent Hill (because in her hometown, old memories would awaken faster).
She leaves the Missionary to be slaughtered by the enraged Heather and
leaves for Silent Hill.
---------------------------------------------
g) Conversation with Vincent
After defeating Leonard, we see a cutscene of a conversation between
Claudia and Vincent. This serves to better flesh out their relationship
and reveal their conflicting beliefs. We see that Claudia, even having
suffered throughout her childhood, didn't want her father to come to harm
("Why did you send her to my father? It’s your fault that he..."). A
conflict becomes imminent: Claudia believes that the real world brings
only suffering and God is needed to make everyone happy. Vincent, on the
other hand, is satisfied with the world as it is ("I know about the
pleasures of this world. And I want to find my happiness while I’m still
here") and, having seen the reality of Alessa's nightmarish world, opposes
the coming of Paradise. He also tells Claudia that her desire for Alessa's
return is akin to a child's desire for love (which is true). Claudia's
last phrase ("You don’t understand. None of you do") serves to show her
loneliness in the world.
h) Confrontation with Douglas
To let the player see all sides of Claudia's personality, the developers
also created a conflict scene with Douglas.
For unknown reasons Claudia goes to LSAP. In awe she awaits the Rebirth of
Paradise, and of her childhood friend Alessa. There she is confronted by
Douglas. Two lonely people with different worldviews come into conflict.
Cartland accuses Claudia of lying ("You lied to me about Heather, lady") -
she told him that Alessa was kidnapped by Mason, but in reality she was
happy with her father and the memory of her past life didn't bring her any
joy. He thinks she used him ("I don’t like being used") to hurt Heather
and bring the nightmarish world to life. Claudia, on the other hand,
believes that she's doing the right thing ("Lie? What lie?"). She thinks
all Heather's life to be one big lie, built by Harry Mason ("That man,
Harry Mason stole her away and kept her hidden from us. She was
brainwashed by him, deceived") and that the Mother of God will never be
truly happy if she doesn't find her own self and build an eternal
Paradise. She believes that Paradise is what Heather's true personality
desires, and thus - her Fate, her destiny.
This scene is where Claudia first reveals her vision of Paradise - a world
without pain, without war, without hunger and disease. We see that she
really does wish for everyone to be happy. But Douglas only laughs at her
idealism and points a gun at her. She is shocked by how simple it is for
him to kill a person ("You’re going to kill me? Is it really so easy for
you?") which means making such a decision herself was very hard for her.
When Douglas answers "I’ve done it before", there is no fear in Claudia's
heart, only pity for the sinner, who is unable to comprehend the Truth.
We don't know what happened between them, but Claudia managed to get away
unharmed, while Douglas was injured. Probably, she overwhelmed him with
her psychic powers. Alessa could kill just by wishing for someone to die.
And Claudia has similar powers. But for some reason, she didn't kill
Douglas.
---------------------------------------------
Heather catches up with her in the cult church. The priestess is standing
behind an altar, looking at an image of God, but turns around when she
hears Heather's footsteps. This scene is a complete reenactment of the
scene in SH1, where Harry met Dahlia in Balkan Church, which is subtle
hint that the events of SH1 are repeating in SH3. Heather immediately
points her gun at Claudia ("Checkmate"), but the priestess is not scared.
Maybe she doesn't fear death? Or feels that Heather's heart is still not
full of hatred? ("The time is not yet at hand") Heather then pretends to
be Alessa and attempts to change Claudia's mind. Even though Heather's
acting is terrible, Claudia is genuinely happy, believing that she really
is talking to Alessa ("Alessa? Is it you? Oh, how I’ve missed you!"). Then
follows a conversation between the conformist Heather ("I don’t need
another world. It’s fine the way it is") and Claudia, who wishes for the
world to change ("I wish only for the salvation of mankind. But for that
to happen, the world must first be remade"). This ideological conflict
ends with a fit of anger on Heather's part ("You self-righteous witch! No
one asked you to help!"). But that is good - the more hatred she feels,
the stronger Alessa's personality becomes. Claudia leaves to prepare for
the Birth in the main chamber, where the final events of the tragedy are
to unfold.
In the next scene, we first see a continuation of Claudia's conflict with
Vincent. Standing in the nightmarish birth chamber, the two cult members
argue. Perhaps, the power of Alessa's world became so great that now both
of them see the same horrible world. Vincent tells Claudia that she cannot
know God's will ("Who do you think you are? Claiming to know God’s
will!?") and wonders if this world is just a reflection of Claudia's soul
("You think that this is the work of God? Isn’t this nothing more than
your own personal nightmare? Just like Alessa 17 years ago"). But Claudia
is too blinded by her faith to realize the horror of this "Paradise" and
understand her "sister" fully. And in any case, now it is too late, she
decides to walk the path of delusion right to its tragic end. She is even
willing to go to hell, just to see her childhood friend.
Enter Heather. Vincent is encouraged by the appearance of his ally
("Heather, go ahead and kill this crazy bitch. This demon who claims to
speak for God"). Claudia, unable to take his mocking of her dream, pierces
him with a knife ("You’ll go to Hell!") - but look at her face at this
moment. Uncertainty and fear: it's as if she can't believe she's committed
a murder. She has murdered a man over a religious dispute. Just like
Leonard did.
Another argument follows. Heather, who has now remembered her past life,
argues that a God born of hatred cannot create a perfect Paradise. Claudia
replies that cruelty is a characteristic of happy people ("Happy people
can be so cruel") and only pain can create true compassion ("Is it so hard
to believe that sympathy could be born from pain and suffering?"). Claudia
also admits that she doesn't expect to be saved due to her own sins. We
can even think that she perceived the nightmarish world as a punishment
from God rather than Alessa's true nature.
The discussion goes nowhere - Heather tries to use the Seal of Metatron to
destroy God, but the artifact doesn't work since she doesn't believe in
its power. Neither does Claudia (if she did, her faith would have been to
make it work) - she denounced her father beliefs, thinking his faith in a
magical seal to be foolish ("That’s just a piece of junk. I’m sorry to see
you fell for my father’s foolishness").
-----------------------
i) The Birth
If our heroine's hatred is so great that she decides to kill Claudia, this
negative emotion will be more than enough to birth God. We see Heather's
body being covered in dark splotches (the rebirth of Alessa) as she drops
to her knees in agony.
Now Claudia's childhood dream will come true - Salvation and Paradise have
come. But will the Paradise truly be a place of joy, or will it be a
horrible endless nightmare? We will never know that.
-------------------------
As a last resort, Heather uses the aglaophtis in her medallion and it
works, banishing the demonic God from her. Claudia cannot believe her eyes
("What is this!?") - she never expected God to be so unsightly. But she
still clings to her faith and decides to absorb all of Alessa's pain and
hatred, manifested in God. After 20 years, the childhood friends become
one. Their subconscious worlds merge, giving birth to a new God. But one
look at that God is enough to say that THIS God will never create a
Paradise.
--------------------------------------
j) High Priestess (Tarot card analysis)
We find this card on Claudia's bed in her room. "Just like Her" remarks
Heather, looking at the image. What is the card's meaning? According to
the cult library, this card symbolizes intuition, faith, dogmatism.
Surely, it is Claudia Wolf. Let us now look at the Tarot puzzle. "Your
Excellency, praying to God most high Do you think you can tell me why You
always look up at the night sky?" - writes Alessa. Looking up at the night
sky can be interpreted as dreaming, nostalgia and religious faith. Notice
that the priestess is alone - there is nobody around her and only the Eye
of Night (symbolizing God) is looking at her from above. This signifies
her closeness to God.
k) Tragedy of true faith
The cruelty of her father, loneliness and pain of her childhood and strong
religious influence became the deciding factors in forming Claudia's
idealistic and altruistic nature, her wish to make the world happy. But
why was she so misunderstood? Heather, Vincent, Douglas and even her
father - none of the realized the nature of her dream and wanted her to
die. What is the reason? Where is the line, beyond which an innocent girl
dreaming of a perfect world turns into a religious fanatic, capable of
murder for a foggy goal?
Brought up in strict religious tradition, Claudia has always felt isolated
from the world - Alessa was her only friend and after losing her Claudia
couldn't get out of her cage of loneliness and misunderstanding. Her
fervent desire to bring her "sister" back mixed with her strong religious
faith - she spent days and nights in her room reading scripture, which she
hoped would help her bring Alessa back. Even holidays were spent in her
room, dreaming of making the world a better place and remembering the
happiness of days past (her diary really is somewhat sad to read). Again,
like in previous installments, we see a desperate attempt to find the
long-gone past. Once feeling nostalgia, one will never be able to stop
searching for the ghosts of the past. And the more Claudia reached out to
her past, to God and Paradise (to Alessa), the more she isolates herself
from the world and from the people she wanted to make happy. Her faith
became the reason for her loneliness.
We also see that her beliefs constantly come into conflict with other
characters. Who is right? Such truth are always subjective, because every
person has their own system of values. But Claudia was brought up by
Leonard, who always tried to impose his ideals on others (which finally
led him to his demise) and Claudia inherited her father's character. This
is most prominently seen in her reformation of the religion - the change
in scripture was her attempt to make everyone accept her view of the
nature of God ("Who do you think you are? Claiming to know God’s will!?").
Another indication of this trait of characters was her delusion that if
whatever's good for her is bound to be good for everyone. That way she
began to see the resurrection of her childhood friend as a universal good.
As a result, Claudia is so blinded by her faith that she cannot think of
every turning back. Her unflinching faith in her "sister" prevents her
from ever understanding her mistake. Moreover, she is fanatical - in a fit
of self-sacrifical madness, she takes up the role of the Mother of God. It
may even be that Claudia WANTED to sacrifice herself - that is common
among religious fanatics. Self-sacrifice satisfies one's desire to
believe, that his or her life wasn't in vain.
Obviously, Claudia Wolf is not your common villain. When writing SH3, the
developers tried to get as far away as possible from your typical bad guy
(the one who wants to conquer the world and laughs maniacally) and create
a more realistic image, that would combine light and dark sides. A
character who would have their own truth, their own reasons and who could
be understood and forgiven. And they succeeded in that - the charismatic
and idealistic Claudia, who suffers for her faith, may inspire more
sympathy that even the protagonist.
l) Appearance analysis
The designers tried to make Claudia look unnatural and out of the
ordinary. Her clothing is limited to a black cloak and such minimalism can
be seen as another expression of her isolation from the material world.
The dark color of her cloak against her "light" beliefs is also
appropriate. She walks barefooted, preferring religious ascetism to
comfort. As we know, Dahlia Gillespie also didn't wear any shoes.
Her bright hair may look gray, which generally makes her look older than
her real 29. Her light-green eyes give the impression of blindness and
that wouldn't be far from truth - she really is blinded by her faith. She
also tends to roll her yes while speaking (especially of Paradise), but
her eyelids stay still. I leave interpreting this peculiarity to you. Also
interesting is the fact that she has no eyebrows. According to the
developers' commentary, this doesn't let us read her emotions and makes
her more mysterious. The very idea of a lack of eyebrows was inspired by a
fashion magazine.
The early sketches of Claudia face were inspired by Julianne Moore.
m) Early sketches
Claudia was one of the hardest characters to develop. There were several
early versions of her appearance, none of which made it into the final
release. But still, they are intersting. Let us look at each variant:
- One of the sketches has Claudia bald and naked from the waist up,
wearing only a black skirt and a pair of gloves. Her body is covered in
tattoos. A disturbing and agressive look, appropriate for a satanic
priestess. It wasn't really fitting for a character like Claudia and was
scrapped.
- Another had her wearing a long red dress and a hood. The train of her
dress resembles a bloody trail. Now recall the image of God in the myth.
Yes, She is wearing the same blood-red dress. Such clothing would
symbolize Claudia's wish to be closer to God.
- The last sketch in our analysis depicts Claudia wearing a golden dress,
while her head is encircled by a halo. She is almost radiate peace,
kindness and holiness. Of course, Wolf's faith was influenced by
Christianity, but such an idealized priestly image is taking it too far.
n) Fun facts
Quote: Oh, Alessa, the world you wanted is nearly here...
Metaphor: Unreasonably strong faith brings tragedy
Symbol: "High Priestess" Tarot card
Music: Float up from Dream, Walk on Vanity Ruins, Sun
Name: The name was borrowed from a 60s actress Claudia Cardinale. She was
originally to be named Christie (maybe for the pronunciation similar to
"Christ" or "christianity"), but the name was deemed to "cute" for a
priestess of a religious cult. Her surname she inherited from her father,
Leonard Wolf.
Actress: the voice of Claudia was provided by Donna Burke, whom some may
remember as Angela in SH2. Donna Burke is a very experienced and
professional actress, so she gets the roles of key characters.
3-5. VINCENT
Age: 24 ~ 26
Occupation: priest in The Order
This man's past is shrouded in mystery. It seems that nobody knows his
real age, or even name. Maybe he's trying to hide something?
Vincent came to Silent Hill after the events of the first game and entered
the ranks of the local religious organization. He knew Claudia Wolf and
witnessed her father's cruelty ("I saw the way he hit you, kicked you and
made you cry"), which he still remembers in detail ("The memory of his
cruelty is forever burned into my mind"). After Leonard is taken to the
Brookhaven Hospital (we can suspect Vincent of moving him out of his way),
his closeness to Claudia allowed him to take a high position in the cult.
Despite his interest, the young priest never really believed in the cult's
teachings - the religion was more like a toy in an aristocrat's hands.
Ever the materialist, Vincent never forgot about his personal interests.
To popularize the cult, he had the church repaired and moved the Order out
of the underground. He then began to collect donations from followers and
spending them on himself ("People are starting to voice their
dissatisfactions about Father Vincent using the organization's money for
his own personal benefits. I've also heard rumours that Father Vincent has
been extorting donations from some followers. Is he really the right
person for such a position?").
Even though he lacked faith and look out for himself more than anyone
else, Vincent was still close to Claudia (possibly, Claudia, busy with her
studies and dreams, never really looked after the cult's infrastructure).
But as time passed, Vincent was growing more and more amazed with her. He
noticed that she had powers of premonition ("Her Sight rarely fails her.
Maybe it’s because of her great faith") and suggestion. But amazement does
not mean respect. On the contrary, he was sure that these were signs of
her madness (he calls her insane on several occasions in the game), caused
by her devotion to the religion and Dahlia's influence ("She was totally
brainwashed by that crazy old hag"). No, Vincent did not want to follow in
her steps ("But I could never be like her. I wouldn’t want to"). Deep
down, he was afraid of her, afraid of her dream coming true. Fed up with
the material world's pleasures, he longed for new experiences, and wants
to see Paradise. But the thought of rejecting the real world forever
didn't appeal to him that much. He didn't like the uncertainty and the
risk it presented ("It wouldn’t be convenient. Much too unpredictable").
Claudia believed Paradise to be a place of universal happiness. But how
would she know God's will? If she is mistaken, Vincent risks losing
everything he's achieved in this world. He was never sure, whether he
desired the coming of Paradise, or not.
Attempting to predict the risks, Father Vincent begins researching the
concept of Paradise in the Silent Hill religion and, naturally, the
history of Alessa and the mysterious events 17 years ago (the tape
suggests that he questioned other cult members about the events of SH1).
He stumbles upon a book called "The Book of Praise", which tells of a
cruel way to ensure the Birth. And for some reason he gives this book to
Claudia. His motives in this are unknown - maybe that day decided to help
her bring forth Paradise and changed his mind later, or maybe he thought
the cruelty would turn the compassionate Claudia away.
While researching the events of SH1, Vincent goes as deep as unraveling
the true nature of the events and the world that swallowed the town. It
was the manifestation of a young girl's nightmare ("Isn’t this nothing
more than your own personal nightmare? Just like Alessa 17 years ago").
The Paradise is not just a myth and the Otherworld can really be summoned
through rituals. But then Leonard leads him to believe that 17 years ago
the Birth was prevented using the Seal of Metatron.
One day Vincent learns that Alessa, the Mother of God, has been found. To
play safe, he contacts the detective who found her and orders him to kill
the Holy One if strange things start to happen ("Find the Holy One. Kill
her?"). Wishing to find out what Paradise is really like, he goes to
Ashfield with Claudia and is drawn into Alessa's nightmarish world.
Heather first meets Vincent in the alternate Hilltop. An
intelligent-looking man in formal clothing is sitting behind a
psychotherapist's table in Green Ridge Mental Health Clinic. The player
may think that he's a doctor, who fell asleep at his table. Vincent seems
to be in deep thought, but he regains his bearings as soon as he notices
Heather, whom he instantly recognizes from the photo. Who is he? Friend or
for? The word "FRIEND(?)" scribbled on the wall is a reflection of
Heather's thoughts.
He tries to talk to Heather and calls her name ("Heather... That's what
you're called now? Isn't it?"), but as we can see, he is not sure if he
used the right name. After introducing himself, he tells Heather not to
forget his name (we may think that he himself tends to forget names). He
then immediately tries to persuade her, that he is her friend, criticizing
Claudia and even mentioning Dahlia ("She was totally brainwashed by that
crazy old hag. Vincent: I guess crazy old hag" is a bit harsh. She is
your mother after all..."), but is surprised to find out that the Mother
of God remembers nothing from her past life ("You don't remember?"). He
thinks that it's some kind of trickery from Harry ("That figures. He's a
pretty sneaky guy"), which triggers an angry outburst on Heather's side
("Don't talk about my dad like that!"). Notice how noticeable scared
Vincent is ("Sorry, I apologize. Please, calm down") - he is afraid of
Heather! According to LM, Vincent is deathly afraid of any kind of
physical harm ("The prospect of putting himself in physical danger scares
him" - LM). He then proudly announces that he knows everything (which,
considering his extensive research into the religion, psychology and
history of Alessa, is not that far from the truth). But when Heather asks
him to explain what's going on and how to end it ("If you know something
then tell me how I can put an end to this") he decides to play with her -
it seems that he doesn't want the nightmare to end. He tells her to take
her time in this world ("Why not enjoy yourself a bit longer?"). And here
his motives become more apparent - he sees the nightmarish world as an
amusement and wants to enjoy it himself. He even admits that he finds it
"most fascinating". Do you still think Vincent is right in the head? He
only believes himself to be more sane than Claudia ("I haven't lost my
mind like you") - but isn't it typical for crazy people to consider
themselves "normal"? It becomes clear why we meet him in shrink's office.
Convinced that Vincent is crazy, Heather leaves the office and refuses to
enter it again.
------------------------------
a) Beyond pleasure
An educated and intelligent man with a wealth of knowledge in psychology,
an aristocrat, who knows all about the pleasures of this world. Vincent
only pretended to be a respectable priest. It is not unusual for people of
high social standing, who need to always look out for their reputation, to
have all sorts of perversions. Vincent wasn't an exception, he sought new
pleasures. Being a closet sadist but unable to fulfill his desires in the
real world, he was enchanted by Alessa's world. "It gets to me alright. I
find it most fascinating...". But of course he didn't want to stay in this
world FOREVER - it was a place for new experiences, a kind of amusement
park from which one can return to normal life. Note his speech in the cult
library - he believes that killing monsters brings Heather immense
pleasure. Just listen to his description of the killing: "You come here
and enjoy spilling their blood and listening to them cry out. You feel
excited when you step on them, snuffing out their lives". We can also
assume that Vincent's fear of physical harm comes from his desire to
inflict such harm on another.
However, "In the otherworld , the world is seen differently depending on
the person". Heather and Vincent see different things. For Vincent it is
much closer to reality and that is why he sees people instead of monsters.
"Monsters...? They look like monsters to you?".
b) How did Vincent end up in a shrink's office?
Many fans believe that Vincent worked as a psychiatrist in Ashfield.
Indeed, what was he doing in that office? How could he have known that
Heather would come there? Or was their meeting accidental? We mustn't
forget that Vincent is also trapped in Alessa's world. Remember that SH1
ending, where it turned out that Harry's physical body had been dead all
that time? Remember SH4? It is possible, that during their first meeting
Vincent was asleep and his consciousness was drawn into Alessa's world,
randomly appearing in the shrink's office. Although in truth, this is a
question we will never find an answer to.
c) Appearance analysis
According to MoSH3, Vincent's formal clothing is supposed to hide his true
nature. Indeed, the clothes do nothing to reveal his personality, and most
of it is expressed through his behavior. He is always trying to look calm,
with a smug smile on his face - but in reality he is constantly afraid,
always expecting other to play some trick on him. Secrecy is his most
prominent character trait - he uses other people to reach his goals,
keeping them in secret for as long as he can. Also, one of his eyes is
looking in a different direction, creating a slight sense of mistrust
("Watch his eyes... when he speaks, you'll notice that one of his eyes is
not looking at the observer. Take attention, it's subtle"). Early sketches
of Vincent's face were inspired by Ethan Hawke.
----------------------------------------
Some time later Vincent meets with Douglas, gives him a map of Silent Hill
and tells him to look for a man named Leonard. Then he departs to Silent
Hill himself.
----------------------------------------
d)The phone call
While in the alternate Brookhaven Hospital, Heather receives a strange
phone call. Let us try and find out the identity of the caller
- According to LM, the phone call is an example of two minds connecting.
That means the caller must also be in the Otherworld.
- The caller forgot Heather's name for some reason ("Oh, I forgot your
name")
- The caller likes to joke, but his sense of humor is terrible ("Happy
birthday dear 'Hooaryou'")
- We know it is not Leonard or Stanley
- He knows that Leonarad is a murderer
- He is very secretive - he never states his name, only dropping small
hints. It's almost as if he takes pleasure in this.
- He knows about Alessa's history of reincarnations ("Happy 31st birthday!
Today is your 24th birthday").
- He knows that Heather hates Claudia ("You can have the one you hate the
most")
- His voice sounds strangely familiar. The voice on the phone is Clifford
Rippel. If you check who else he's voicing in SH3, you're in for a
surprise.
- After finding the birthday presents, Heather remarks: "If I didn't
really need this stuff right now, HE wouldn't have given it to me. THAT
WEIRDO, I mean". If we recall her calling Vincent a "weird guy" in
Hilltop, the answer becomes clear. We can also theorize that the shotgun
was also a present from him.
Apparently, while in Alessa's world, Vincent decided to use one of the
cut-off phones for fun (the Otherworld is all fun for him) and call
Heather. But since the Otherworld is governed by very different laws, such
a phone allowed him to "connect" to Alessa, i.e. Heather.
It is almost as if Vincent is following the Mother of God everywhere in
her world, watching her kill monsters etc. "You show up everywhere don’t
you?"
e) Discussion with Claudia
After defeating Leonard, we are treated to a scene of a conversation
between Claudia and Vicent in room 106 of Jack's Inn. Vincent, who sent
Heather to Leonard, is now making fun of the fellow cult member, telling
her that Leonard's death is his sign of closeness to God.
A conflict becomes imminent: Claudia believes that the real world brings
only suffering and God is needed to make everyone happy. Vincent, on the
other hand, is satisfied with the world as it is ("I know about the
pleasures of this world. And I want to find my happiness while I’m still
here") and, having seen the reality of Alessa's nightmarish world, opposes
the coming of Paradise. He also tells Claudia that her desire for Alessa's
return is akin to a child's desire for love (which is true).
------------------------
We next meet Vincent in the same room of the motel. How could he know
where Heather and Douglas stopped? Suspicious, as always. He keeps his
meeting with Claudia secret ("Was there someone else here just now?" -
"No, no, just me") and to lure Heather into a trap gives her a message,
supposedly left to her by Douglas ("The church is on the other side of the
lake"). Nevertheless, the explanations Vincent goes into make Heather
doubt that he learned of the church from Douglas ("Douglas really said
that?" - "What’s wrong, you don’t trust me?"). Notice that he suggests
going through the Amusement Park, since NOW it's the only way to the
northern part of town.
We can think that Vincent actually explored Alessa's world and learned the
locations of all collapsed roads. But it also may be that he prepared
*something* for her in LSAP and wanted her to choose that route.
----------------------------------
f) Vincent and Douglas
Both men are suspicious and until the very end, Heather can't decide who
to trust, who is friend, and who is foe. It's evident they know each
other. Their meeting is the only one not shown in the game, to keep the
nature of their connection secret, so that we have to resort to small
hints to uncover it. First is the photograph of Heather (obviously made by
Douglas) next to the office where we find Vincent. Then the instruction to
look for Leonard. And Vincent knows where Heather and Douglas stopped. And
then Douglas attempts to kill Heather (as was written on the photo) in the
park, where Vincent sent her. There is definitely some sort of secret
agreement between the two.
But despite that, their motives are completely different. Vincent is
trying to get rid of Heather and Claudia and prevent the coming of
Paradise for his own gains, while Douglas tries and fails to kill Claudia
and Heather to end the nightmare and save the Mother of God from suffering.
----------------------------------------
He makes his next appearance in the cult library, right after Heather
obtains "The Moon" Tarot card. That would mean he followed her to the
church... Heather immediately remarks on his ubiquitousness. By now she
already knows he is also a member of the cult, which is evident in her
saying "Yeah, you’re on Claudia’s side". However, Vincent, who is
convinced that he is absolutely normal, is offended ("I told you not to
put me in the same category as that madwoman"). Once again he tries to
make her realize that he is different from Claudia and persuade her that
he is on her side, since he also wants to prevent the Birth and coming of
Paradise ("The point is that now I really am on your side. I don’t want
God to be born"). He reveals his motives - the risks carried by such
drastic changes are inconvenient ("It wouldn’t be convenient. Much too
unpredictable"). And only now Heather begins to realize that all this time
he's been using her to stop Claudia ("So you’ve been using me to stop
Claudia, is that it? Do your own dirty work"). Despite their seeming unity
of purpose, the characters are in conflict. Heather believes her actions
to be right and good, while seeing Vincent as a villain. She doesn't know
all the truth about herself, though. Angry at her, Vincent accuses her of
sadism ("Don’t stand there looking so smug. You’re the worst person in
this room. You come here and enjoy spilling their blood and listening to
them cry out. You feel excited when you step on them and snuff out their
lives!") and reveals the monsters' true nature ("They look like monsters
to you!?"), which shocks the heroine greatly. Look at Vincent's face at
this moment - his expression is one of triumph.
He then makes sure she has the Seal of Metatron (notice how startled he is
at first, thinking she forgot to take it) and gives her an old book, which
describes the talisman's properties. His part done, Vincent leaves for the
Birth chamber.
----------------------------------
g) Fatal delusion
Leonard led Vincent to believe that the events 17 years ago were resolved
using the Seal of Metatron. Thus, Vincent though that by using the SoM he
can play safe and prevent the Birth and the coming of Paradise. That is
why he says "As long as we have that, we’re fine".. That is why he sent
Heather to Leonard for the Seal. He may also have given her the book
"Otherworld Laws" specifically to make her believe in the Seal's powers
and secure its effects in Aleesa\Heather's world.
But in SH3 Heather admits that she doesn't believe in anything occult and
her fledgling faith in the Seal is destroyed by Claudia: "It's just a
piece of junk. What do you think you can do with it? I'm sorry you fell
for my father's foolishness". Claudia, also having some psychic powers,
can also influence the world and doesn't believe in the Seal. Thus, since
no one believed in the Seal's power, it didn't work.
----------------------------------
In the next scene, we first see a continuation of Claudia's conflict with
Vincent. Standing in the nightmarish birth chamber, the two cult members
argue. Perhaps, the power of Alessa's world became so great that now both
of them see the same horrible world. Vincent tells Claudia that she cannot
know God's will ("Who do you think you are? Claiming to know God’s
will!?") and wonders if this world is just a reflection of Claudia's soul
("You think that this is the work of God? Isn’t this nothing more than
your own personal nightmare? Just like Alessa 17 years ago"). But Claudia
is too blinded by her faith to realize the horror of this "Paradise" and
understand her "sister" fully. And in any case, now it is too late, she
decides to walk the path of delusion right to its tragic end. She is even
willing to go to hell, just to see her childhood friend.
Enter Heather. Vincent is encouraged by the appearance of his ally
("Heather, go ahead and kill this crazy bitch. This demon who claims to
speak for God"). Claudia, unable to take his mocking of her dream, pierces
him with a knife ("You’ll go to Hell!"). It is ironic that Vincent, who
was deathly afraid of coming to physical harm and always expecting others
to betray him is stabbed with a knife the moment he turns his back on his
fellow cult member. However, his death wasn't instanteous - with his last
breath, he implores Heather to use the Seal of Metatron. But it doesn't
work and Claudia finishes him ("You’re pathetic. But God loves even you").
-------------------------------------
h) Vincent's body disappears?
Notice that after Claudia absorbs God and is taken into the birthing hole
by Valtiel, Vincent's body vanishes. What could this mean? There is no
definite answer here.
"God loves even you" says Claudia of her former comrade. This maybe a hint
that Vincent has gained salvation and eternal "Paradise"? Having died
while in the Otherworld, Vincent is now doomed to forever exist in it,
repeating the fate of Lisa Garland. Then again, the disappearance of his
body may be interpreted as him exiting the Otherworld (remember Henry
vanisihing from Walter's world). In that case, Vincent is saved from
eternal suffering.
As you can see, there are many ways to interpret this and, based on
various facts, make up your own end for this character's story.
i) The Moon (Tarot card analysis)
The Moon is the card we find in the library immediately before meeting
Vincent. It represents an aristocrat. "I don't think it's an expecially
good card" says Heather after looking at the card. Alessa writes of The
Moon arrogance: "The moon is up above the sky, Full or crescent, floating
high".
Let's analyze the image to better understand Vincent. We see a dark night,
which is made even more dismal by the bright moon and gloomy wasteland
landscape. In the foreground, emphasizing the desolation, are two figures
- a dog and a wolf, both howling at the moon. In some way this image is
representative of Vincent, who pretended to be a dog, but turned out to be
a wolf for both Claudia and Heather.
According to LM, the Moon also symbolizes uneasiness, mistrust or
inconstancy. A 100% match for Vincent. The card is also often associated
with people, who are attracted to the mysterious and frightening (the wolf
and the dog) - and Vincent found Alessa's world "most fascinating".
i) Lack of true faith
The image of a distrustful materialist is in contrast with the idealist
image of Claudia. Despite being members of one cult, the difference
between them is colossal.
The main theme of Vincent's character is lack of true faith. It is evident
in all parts of his character. Being a sort of parson in the cult, he did
not really believe in the cult's teachings and only participates in it out
of interest and greed. His faith is limited to allowing the possibility of
God's existance. Afraid of the risks that follow the birth of God and the
coming of Paradise also shows his lack of faith in a good outcome (then
again, Vincent knew a lot about the true nature of God and Paradise, to
blindly believe in this).
But his lack of faith is not limited to religion. Constant uneasiness,
expectation of betrayal - Vincent also distrusts people. Heather can't
trust him herself - how can she trust this aristocrat when she doesn't
even know what's going on in his head. Ironic, that the only thing Vincent
believed in was the Seal of Metatron - and this faith failed him, because
it wasn't shared by the other characters.
k) Fun facts
Quote: I know about the pleasures of this world. And I want to find my
happiness while I’m still here.
Metaphor: craving for material pleasure kills faith
Symbol: "The Moon" Tarot card
Music: Sickness unto Foolish Death, Stray Child, Innocent Moon
Name: named after Vincent Gallo who starred in the movie "Buffalo '66".
The choice was probably because of stubble, but the SH3 Vincent is not as
cool as his movie namesake.
Actor: Clifford Rippel. Some fans believe the same actor provided the
voice Jasper Gein in SH4, but that is NOT TRUE, as Jeremy Blaustein stated
that Rippel did not take part in the development of SH4.
3-6. LEONARD WOLF
Leonard Wolf was one of the most fanatical and influential member of the
cult. Such high place in the hierarchy affected his character accordingly
- he was an elitist, believeing himself to be closest to God, a *needed*
man. Considering himself better than others, Wolf, who had a "strong sense
of justice" believed that only those who have been chosen will go to
Paradise. He was, of course, one chosen. He also believed that he was the
only one who heard the voice of God and knew the Ultimate Truth. He didn't
put up with any objections, thinking of them as heresy. Another of his
traits was his extreme cruelty - we can theorize that he tried to appease
God with the blood of "unnecessary people"
------------------------------
a) Executioner
Wolf's "strong sense of justice", his high standing, fanatical faith and
his possible wish to give the blood of "unnecessary people" to God may
very well be hints, pointing at his position as the cult's executioner. We
know that executioners have a long and bloody history in the cult - since
long ago they have performed bloodthirsty sacrifices in the name of the
cult's God.
------------------------------
Wolf even mistreated his own daughter, forcing his belief of "salvation
for the chosen" on her. He never loved her and put his religious ideals
above everything, torturing her ("the memories of his cruelty is forever
burned into my mind"), trying to raise a perfect believer, who could build
a Paradise for the chosen. But the more he tried to bash his ideologies
into her, the more she distanced herself from here, adopting the concept
of universal Salvation.
--------------------------------
b) Leonard and the Seal of Metatron.
Leonard is known to have been a friend of Dahlia Gillespie and thus he
picked up quite a bit of occult gibberish from her. One such thing was the
Seal of Metatron, which they believed to be a real danger to their God. A
short time later Dahlia's plan almost worked, but something went wrong and
the plan failed in the long run (taking Dahlia's life). What could Leonard
have made of it? Could he even for a moment think that God was killed by a
mortal man or that Alessa found in herself the strength to destroy her
world? Of course not - Leonard couldn't accept such ideas and became
convinced that the Paradise was destroyed using the Seal.
After the events of SH1, Leonard somehow came across the Seal of Metatron
and, thinking himself to be close to God, decided to become its protector.
Obsessed with guarding a piece of junk, Leonard slowly lost his sanity.
--------------------------------
Sometime later Leonard stabs someone with a knife over a religious dispute
("Rumor has it he got here by stabbing someone over a religious dispute"),
but he is diagnosed with schizophrenia and mild auditory and visual
hallucinations so instead of being put into prison, he is instead sent to
Brookhaven for treatment (as Claudia and Vincent assumed leadership in the
cult). He was placed in room S12 on the third floor.
But even in the hospital, Wolf still protects the Seal and listens to God.
He is also trying to push his beliefs on other patients and doctors ("He
should still have his religious freedom here in the hospital, but he
shouldn't push his faith on others. I'm a victim too").
---------------------------------
c) Bloody drawings
In SH we can find a notebook (or it could be someone's thoughts taking the
form of a notebook in the Otherworld - you choose) with pictures drawn by
Leonard during his time in the hospital. These drawings (more akin to a
child's drawing) show that there was something wrong with Leonard's
psychic development and the abundance of blood and violence in the
drawings suggests sadism.
"The world is teeming with unnecessary people. It's God's decision that I
fight. As a knight of honor, as a protector of the seal, I sacrifice
myself to the blood of criminals" - Leonard is willing to not only give
God the blood of "unnecessary people", but even his own life (somewhat
similar to Claudia). Apparently, Leonard thought himself "necessary".
However, examining the notebook, Heather remarks: "Who wrote this? Some
twisted individual, eh? I see this and I wanna ask him, 'So you think
you're one of the necessary ones?'".
---------------------------------
By the time SH3 takes place, Claudia has had enough time to reform the
religion and find Alessa. Now, to secure against the coming of Paradise,
Vincent sents Heather to look for Leonard, to take the Seal from him. It
is strange that Vincent can't take it himself. But what is even stranger
is that Vincent doesn't seem to know where exactly the Seal is - in the
hospital, or at Leonard's house. To check both places, Douglas and Leonard
decide to split up - Douglas heads for Leonard's house, while Heather
checks out Brookhaven, which Vincent marked on the map. One look at the
hospital is enough to tell that it's been abandoned for quite some time.
What could someone be doing there, then?
Nevertheless, our heroine continues undeterred and finally finds Wolf's
room. Of course, he isn't there (why would he be in an abandoned
hospital?) and his bed smells ("Gross.... the whole bed stinks like
year-old sweat!"). Suddenly, the phone rings and... the caller is Leonard.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
d) Conversation with Leonard
At first, Leonard decides that he is speaking with Claudia. Notice, how
hard it is to change his mind even about such a small thing.
Wolf: Claudia?
Heather: No, I’m not...
Wolf: Don’t lie to me, Claudia. You’re always trying to run from your
responsibilities. Have you come to apologize? Or maybe you still don’t
realize how foolish you’ve been?
Heather: Listen to me already! I’m not Claudia!
Wolf: You’re not Claudia?
Heather: My name is Heather.
Wolf: Heather...?
Leonard simply refuses to hear what Heather is telling him. Typical of his
character.
During the conversation, we learn that he is Claudia's father ("Claudia is
your daughter?") and that religious disputes are the reason behind their
animosity ("I was going to forgive her if she changed her ways. But I see
it’s too late") and that he has the Seal and wants to stop Claudia. But
there's a complication - he's locked up and he doesn't even know where ("I’
m locked up in here").
It's obvious, that the phone call is not real (Leonard couldn't have known
when somebody would walk into room S12, and that's not mentioning the fact
that there shouldn't be a phone in a hospital ward) - it is another
example of minds connecting in the Otherworld. So, to make the call
Leonard must have been in the Otherworld himself. He also cannot leave the
place he is in - just as described in the occult magazine. What could this
mean?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Passing through the nightmarish side of the hospital (where Leonard
supposedly is), Heather performs a bloody ritual in room C4 and descends
into the HOLE that suddenly appeared.
But when we finally meet Leonard, it becomes obvious that Claudia's father
is actually a crazed religious fanatic, who believes in God and Paradise
for the chosen (which Heather doesn't want). Learning of the Mother's
"betrayal", Wolf goes into a rage and attacks her. She, in turn, sees him
as a monster and kills him with a wry smile ("Well, I guess you’re not a
person anyway"). This is probably where Leonard's story ends.
----------------------------------------------
e) Why is Leonard a monster?
Having read LM, we can assume that we see Wolf as a monster because of
Heather's fear before the cultist, or because of Claudia's hatred towards
him.
f) Leonard's secret
Leonard is one of those characters, whose stories puzzle fans the most
(being in an abandoned hospital, calling on the phone etc.). I've already
mentioned some interesting details above, now let us finally reveal all
the mysteries of Leonard Wolf.
In truth, by the time of SH3, Leonard had been dead for some time - he
died in the hospital and his consciousness continued to exist there, tied
to it. Sometime before SH3 Brookhaven was closed down, but Leonard was
still there, not realizing his own death. Claudia, isolated from the world
and not known what was going on in the cult, never really learned of her
father's death (that is why she was worried whe she learned that Heather
was sent to him).
The cause of his death are unclear - it is unexplained in the game, so we
are left to guess:
1) He died in an accident while trying to escape the hospital through the
sewers (appropriate for the location of our meeting with him and his
looks).
2) He committed suicide, sacrificing himself to his God.
3) He was assassinated on Vincent's orders.
4) He descended into his own subconscious world and died while his
consciousness was still there.
And now for some final important remarks:
- Vincent couldn't take the Seal from Leonard. Only the Mother of God
could meet with a dead man and take the seal from him.
- Vincent didn't know where Wolf is, because he couldn't decide which
place his soul would be bound to. That is why he decided to look in both
Brookhaven and Leonard's house.
- Wolf remained in the hospital despite it's closure because he was dead
and existed in the "other world" of the town. For the same reason he was
able to make the phone call, even though he was dead.
- He couldn't leave the sewers, because he was just a ghost. "The souls of
those who died suddenly by suicide or accident don't realize they're dead.
Sometimes they stay put and haunt that particular place. These spirits
have lost their human senses and memories and can only keep replaying the
pain and sadness of the moment they died".
- Heather's "Well, I guess you’re not a person anyway" may be interpreted
as a hint that Leonard is only a ghost.
- The battle with Leonard never took place in the "normal" world. After
defeating him, Heather comes to in room C4 on the first floor of
Brookhaven, where she was before. That means that after entering C4,
Heather simply lost consciousness and the descent into the HOLE and the
battle took place only in the "Otherworld".
g) Was the Seal of Metatron real?
Considering Leonard's... immateriality, we can think that the Seal itself
was a reflection of the Mother's concept of this item in her world (as are
about 90% of all things in SH3) i.e. didn't exist in reality. But we can
just as well think that it was actually dropped in room C4 by Leonard
before being found by Heather.
h) Fun facts:
Quote: Death to all who turn their backs on God!
Metaphor: No one but God can determine the chosen
Symbol: Seal of Metatron
Music: Breeze - in Monochrome Night, Prayer, Protect the Seal
Name: His cruelty is reflected in his last name - Wolf. The name Leonard
is derived from "Leo" - lion.
Actor: Matt Lagan
3-7. STANLEY COLEMAN
A patient of Brookhaven Hospital, who was located in ward S07 on the third
floor. His behavior is usually passive, cowardly and selfish, but his
overwhelming love for one woman has led to several incidents in the past.
It is obvious that Stanley is somehow connected to the cult. According to
his diaries, it was the cult that put him in the hospital in the first
place ("The Organization has me shut up in here. They mean to break my
will, to make me forget about all that"). What could be hiding in the
cultist's dark past? We will look at that question later.
Coleman spent a long time in Brookhaven, believing himself to be the only
sane person in the town ("There's not a single person here who's right in
the head. Not just in this hospital --- I mean in all of Silent Hill.
Except me") and keeping his strong love for the Mother of God in his
heart. He hasn't seen her in a long time ("We haven't been able to see
each other for so long"), but soon she will come and free him from the
hospital. He has dreamed of this for a long time. In his ward, he
fantasized about his meeting with the Mother of God, about giving her the
doll, reading her his poems and taking her to his own world, a world just
for them - a Paradise.
---------------------------
a) Stanley's past
Let's analyze those moments of the game, that point at Coleman's past:
- We know that he and the Mother of God knew each other in the past and he
loved her i.e. Stanley was in love with Alessa. If they both grew up in
the cult, it's no surprise that they knew each.
- Their feelings were mutual: "I'm not YOUR BELOVED Stanley either" - says
Vincent on the phone. And of all SH3 characters Vincent knows the most
about Alessa's past.
- Stanley is always trying to give Heather some sort of doll, like a
memento of their meeting - we can theorize that Stanley gave Alessa a doll
when they were children and their relationship began with that. Heather
says that she played with such dolls when she was a child ("I played with
dolls like this when I was a child, too. It really takes me back"), but
maybe she is once again confusing her own memories with those of Alessa?
- We know that Alessa was burned by Dahlia to summon God, which means she
and Stanley were separated in childhood - that is why he writes that he
hasn't seen her in a very long time. But if she died, why did he believe
she would return?
- Evidently, Stanley believed that Alessa was reborn and would return to
rescue him from the hospital - under a different and with a different face
("I never even knew your name or face until today. But now I know. I know
you're the one I've been waiting for") she would return. In that his faith
is similar to Claudia's.
b) Why was Stanley taken to Brookhaven?
It is possible that Stanley was put there just because he was a sick
psycho, but by his diaries it seems that the cult was somehow involved.
How could he have displeased Claudia and the lot? Maybe Claudia did not
like his perverted erotic fantasies of Saint Alessa? Or maybe she was just
jealous because Alessa had another friend? %)))
c) Dark Love
Love is a good feeling. But in the Otherworld, white turns to black and
good to evil. Love becomes violent and death is erotic.
Stanley's paranoid love is not an exception - his feelings are permeated
with sadomasochism. Is this the influence of Silent Hill's cruel religion?
- In the diary in M4 Stanley says that he wants to open his chest to show
Heather his loving heart or at least carve something like "I love Heather"
on his chest. He wants to hurt himself as a way of proving his love.
- He likes the rooftop, it makes him want to fly. Death seems romantic to
him.
- The poem on the second floor is presumably a reflection of Stanley's
thoughts. Again, we see an obsession with inflicting pain on himself and
his lover:
I'm so sad, I suffer---
and so happy, it hurts.
I want to hurt you
and destroy myself
Here he describes his erotic fantasies: a kiss slowly turns into a
cannibalistic orgy. He takes pleasure in literally sinking his teeth in
his lover's eye, tongue, cheek, ear.
No wonder Heather wasn't very keen on returning his affections.
-------------------------------
During his time in the hospital, Stanley met Leonard Wolf and this didn't
get him anywhere good. Wolf started to hate Coleman for his heresy ("It's
all over. Leonard despises me - because I made fun of it, saying it would
come to this") and soon killed him, destroying his dream of meeting the
Mother of God ("If it weren't for his meddling, I would have been able to
meet you in just a little while").
That means that during SH3 Coleman's already been dead for some time. This
becomes even clearer when Vincent says Stanley is in the morgue and
Leonard is the murderer. Nevertheless, Stanley continued to exist in the
Otherworld (as did his murderer). When Heather comes to the abandoned
hospital, she finds the psycho's diary. The diary is, of course, just a
reflection of his thoughts (notice that other diaries appear ONLY if you
read the first one) in the Otherworld - a peculiar connection between the
worlds of Alessa\Heather and Stanley. In these diaries, Stanley reveals
his desires to Heather and this scares.
--------------------------------------------------
d) Brief analysis of the diaries.
Visiting Room.
Because of minds connection in the Otherworld, Stanley learns that Heather
is the reincarnated Alessa. He is convinced that she has come to free him
from this confinement. He gives her a handmade doll. Funny that Heather at
first thinks that the doll is cute, but when she discovers WHO left it and
WHY, she becomes disgusted by it ("Disgusting. I won't touch that with a
10-foot pole!").
C4.
Stanley is assured that he was put in Brookhaven by members of the cult to
make him forget about the Mother of God. It may be that he simply cannot
accept the fact of his own insanity. Would a sane man glue things to a
wall - including a bug, a cookie, a teddybear and even keys? Also of
interest is his statement that if something doesn't have a purpose, its
existance is pointless, but he himself wrongly believes that he is the
purpose of Heather's existance.
East Hallway.
Unable to accept unrequited love, Stanley prefers to think that Heather's
love is just concealed in her subconscious and it will take time to
surface. Blinded by his love, he thinks that she is wandering the hospital
looking for him.
M4.
Stanley comments of the tattoed man (particularly, says that he doesn't
have anything to do with his death) and reveals his masochistic side.
Special Treatment Room.
His next love-letter begins with a poem - he says that the words of great
poet perfectly convey his own feelings. Note the idea of Stanley and
Heather becoming one: "After all, you and I exist as one. What I give to
you is the same as what I give to me". It is possible that through the
merging of their world, Stanley is slowly merging with Heather, becoming
one with her.
Stairwell.
The wish to fly from the roof reflects his tendency to romanticize death.
Locker
To speed things up, Stanley hints that the code for the third floor door
was written on the back side of a cabinet by a mad doctor. He also writes
that he is the only sane person in Silent Hill.
S07.
Stanley hints at being murdered by Leonard Wolf and tells Heather to watch
out for him ("Heather, watch out for him. Leonard is no ordinary guy").
e) Fun facts
Quote: I shouldn't have let this place get to me, should never have gone
crazy. But it's superbly enjoyable to drown in my love for you...
Metaphor: Dark Love
Symbol: Diary, doll
Name: There is rumor that Stanley Coleman was named after Stanley Kubrick,
but this has never been confirmed.
3-8. Tattooed man.
This man was one of the patients of Brookhaven Hospital - he was found
unconscious on hospital grounds and was placed in ward M4. His possessions
were also put there - an alarm clock and a briefcase with a camera. There
were several tattoos on the man's body - on his left arm was written "The
start time is my key" (hinting that the code to the briefcase is the time
the alarm is set to. But why make it into a tattoo? And is it real?). The
second tattoo was on his heel. It read "Margaret, let's swear our love
until death do us part". It appears that the tattooed man was in love with
a woman named Margaret. But why make such a tattoo on the heel? Was there
no better place?
Everything about this man appears strange. But the main mystery is that he
was found in dead in M4! He died from blood loss due to a knife wound in
the neck. Suicide? But the angle of the wound looked suspicious.
Additionally, the other patient who was supposed to be in M4 at the time,
Stanley Coleman, gave no confirmation of suicide (although Stanley was not
the murderer). Mystery. The police was not informed.
-----------------------------
a) Mysterious death.
Strangely, the tattooed man's death is almost identical to Walter
Sullivan's (although he used a spoon) and the PyramidHeads' (although they
used spears). We can theorize that the man descended into an alternate
world near the hospital and soon committed suicide. But, since the angle
of the wound is suspicious, we can also think that he was killed by
Leonard Wolf (who has had an experience of killing a person with a knife).
b) Who was the tattoed man?
The identity of the tattoed man is shrouded in mystery. Who was he really?
There are different opinions among the fans:
- Some think he is Walter Sullivan. However, Walter died in prison and he
used a spoon. Also, SH4 makes it clear that Walter would never make any
love tattoos on his heels.
- Others think that he is Leonard Wolf. This couldn't be true, because the
dead man, unlike Wofl, was not a patient. For the same reason, he couldn't
be Coleman.
- The most original speculation that I've heard is that the tattooed man
is the cameraman, who worked with Joseph Schreiber. His briefcase contains
a camera and Coleman calls him a liar ("I didn't hate him, though he was a
liar"), possibly for the article about Hope House.
Nevertheless, the deleopers didn't leave us enough data to identify the
man, so we cannot say which one of these assumptions is true.
3-9. Subway accident victim
According to a newspaper in the subway, four months before the events of
SH3, on the fourth day of the month, at 11 PM a 40-yeard old man in black
clothing, around 177,8 cm talls fell on the tracks while waiting for the
train on Hazel street station. He was beheaded by the arriving train. The
victim could not be identified and it was not discovered whether the
incident was an accident or suicide. The fact that the victim looked drunk
and, apparently, jumped on the tracks against his own will, caused many
rumors that at this moment he was possessed by one of the ghosts, that
inhabit the subway. Who knows, perhaps the man really committed suicide
under the influence of mystical powers? Even Heather, who didn't believe
in anything like that, was scared that a ghost might push her on the
tracks.
By the way, you may have noticed that the number 4 is prominent in this
incident (4th day, 4 months before SH3, 40 years old, 4th line) - this is
because 4 is associated with death in Japanese mythology.
3-10. Joe, Jaime and their friend.
Three friends who used to work in the sewers. Joe and Jaime died prior to
the events SH3 - accodring to the official statement, they fell into the
water while drunk and drowned. Their friend, unable to accept the truth,
blamed their deaths on sewer monsters - he believed that Joe and Jaime
were killed by alligators in the sewers (a popular US legend, according to
which people bought pet alligators when it was in vogue, but later often
flushed them in the toilet when they realized the problems of having such
a pet. The creatures continued to live in the sewers.) and decided to
take revenge on the creature. He was sure there was something in the
water. But he can't hurt it with his gun or knife. If only he had a
grenade. Or at least an electric hairdryer.
It is possible that the appearance of the underwater monster in Heather's
world is caused by her believing in the sewer worker's writing. Or perhaps
the sewer was once devoured by Alessa's world and the worker really did
see the monster.
3-11. Christie
According to a note in the special treatment ward, one of the nurses -
Christie - sometimes mistreated her patients. Intially, the hospital
administration tried to cover up for her to keep the hospital's reputation
clean ("The trick is not to leave any marks!"), but this soon proved
inefficient, so Christie was locked in a special treatment room as
punishment for 12 hours. Many in the hospital thought that it would've
been better for her if she had been fired ("Christie would have been
better off if she had been fired"). There were also rumors that the
hospital chief had been making passes at Christie ("The Chief is a
pervert!"), so it's possible that he threatened to fire her if she did not
submit. He may have been the one to devise such a weird punishment.
By the way, we know that Claudia Wolf was originally going to be called
Christie. Perhaps, the mention of a Christie in the hospital was meant to
be hint that Claudia once worked there - out of a desire to help others,
no doubt - but was too short-tempered and sometimes attacked her patients.
Later, after the name was changed, the hospital part of her history was
scrapped, but stayed in the game for some reason.
3-12. Woman in the confessional.
Entering the confessional in the cult's church, Heather hears the voice of
a female cultist (not Claudia). She tells that her daughter died and to
avenge her death, she murdered the woman responsible, and was sentenced to
death herself ("I know I’ll be put to death for the sins I’ve committed").
She begs God to grant her forgiveness and prays for the souls of her
daughter and the woman she killed. Heather, who bears God inside of her,
has to make a difficult choice - to console the woman by telling her she
forgives her, or to say nothing.
-------------
a) Nature of the voice.
Since we only hear the woman through the wall of the confessional (which
is reminiscent of Maria's conversations with Ernest in SH2), we can doubt
her reality. There are three most prominent theories on that regard:
- A female cult member who committed murdered died for some reason (either
killing herself, or being put to death for her sin), but found no rest
after death and continued to exist in the Otherworld of Silent Hill,
eternally seeking forgiveness.
- Others think that it is a real woman, who has barricaded herself in the
confessional.
- It may also be just a figment of Heather's imagination.
-------------
According to Hiroyuki Owaku's commentary, this scene is supposed to show
that there are no truly right or wrong decisions in life. Neither of the
options is completely "right". If you tell the woman you forgive her, you
are lying AND justifying a murder and worship of an evil God. If you say
nothing, then you are denying the woman a chance to be forgiven. Thus, the
scene in the confessional puts the player in a very uncomfortable
situation.
Actress: Lenne Hardit.
3-13. The UFO guys.
If instead of killing monsters Heather transforms into a magical girl and
charms them with her sexy beams, you'll get the Revenge Ending: Heather
comes back home before Harry is killed. But what's that? Harry is drinking
tea with... little green men? More than that - Harry is himself an alien
with a squeaky voice! But Heather is not taken aback - she tells him of
what went on and Harry decides to get revenge on Claudia. He and the
aliens get their flying saucers to destroy the town.
----------------------------
a) The Sun (Tarot card analysis)
Lost Memories associates the Revenge Ending with this Tarot card. The
meaning of that card is happiness for those, who take life simply, without
any unnecessary contemplations. Appropriate for the UFO endings, which
unite the three games and teach us not to take them too seriously.
---------------------------
We then see a cutscene of flying saucers destroying the foggy town and the
credits roll with ruins in the background. We can also hear a funny song
in Japanese, which gives amusing descriptions of the major characters.
3-14. James Sunderland?
If you get the Revenge Ending, in Harry's apartment a blonde man in a
green jacket can be seen hiding behind the window. Hey, it's James! Which
means the cult member who killed Mason by Claudia's order was... James?
And the battle with the Missionary was actually a battle with the
protagonist of SH2? But why did James agree to that? Perhaps, Claudia
promised him, that the Birth of God would bring Mary back? Or...
In any case, it's just a joke ending, which shouldn't be taken to
seriously. Thus, we shall not overanalyze James' appearance.
3-15. Other characters
a) Alessa
The girl, who was burned 24 years prior to SH3 in an attempt to summon
God. Despite her death, her personality lives on in Heather.
c) Cheryl.
The girl who was found 24 years ago by the Masons. She carried a part of
Alessa's soul in her. 17 years prior to SH3, Harry took her to Silent
Hill, which caused Alessa's soul to reunite and the whole town to be
devoured by darkness. After these events Cheryl ceased to be.
d) Mrs. Mason
Harry Mason's wife, who acted as the mother of the adopted girl, but died
21 years prior to SH3. Heather remembers her after reading Harry's diary,
as Cheryl's memories return to her ("I haven't forgotten my sweet and
gentle mother").
e) Lisa Garland.
The caring nurse who looked after the burned Alessa ("Lisa... who was so
heavenly toward me in that hellish hospital room"), but started acting
strange towards the end ("She did get a little weird, though..."). In
reality, due to the influence of PTV, Lisa died and her soul was forever
trapped in Alessa's nightmarish world, doomed to eternal suffering. See
Part 4, 1-6.
In SH3, on the stairwell of the alternate Brookhaven Hospital, we can see
the ravaged body of a nurse. According to LM, this is Lisa, which is a
plain indication of her fate after SH1. We can also see a part of Alessa's
memory of Lisa in the maze in Brookhaven, when Heather examines the
mystical symbol.
f) K. Gordon
Alessa's teacher, who never did anything to help her. In SH3 we find his
diary, from which we learn that he knew about Dahlia mistreating her
daughter and about Alessa's relationship with her classmates, yet he
stayed passive and never acted upon it. By the way, what is the diary
doing in the Otherworld? Possibly, Alessa read it one day and it is now
reflected in her world. Or K. Gordon was actually killed 17 years ago when
her world devoured Silent Hill and his soul is still trapped there.
g) Female cult member.
The cultist, who vaguely tells Vincent of the events that happened 17
years ago and tells her that Holy Mother (Saint Alessa) has been found.
Their conversation can be heard by listening to the tape in the church.
The woman also admits her fear of Claudia and unwillingness to become a
religious fanatic like her.
h) Borley Haunted Mansion narrator.
While in the Haunted Mansion, Heather hears the voice of a narrator. His
scary stories and black humor are supposed to set the mood for the haunted
house setting and explain the various locations. We can also theorize that
he is an illusion created by Alessa or a real man, who was trapped in the
mansion after dying and is still doing his job.
i) L.S.
The cult member, who lived in the small cell in the church. It is known
that L.S. was opposed to Vincent's materialistic and greedy policies and
wrote letters regarding that to other members - or simply wrote his
thoughts out on paper, unable to act.
What could his name mean? Write if you have any ideas. So far, I couldn't
come up with anything other than "Lisa Simpson" =)
j) Dr. Midkiff and Dr. R. Crosby.
Dr. R. Crosby warned his colleague Midkiff to be especially careful with
the patient in ward S12 on the third floor (which they called 312). The
patient was Leonard Wolf. He was taken to Brookhaven after murdering a
person over a religious dispute and even after being hospitalized, tried
to push his faith on others (including Crosby).
Names: According to LM, the names were taken from actors of the movie "Pet
Cemetary": Midkiff was borrowed from Dale Midkiff and R. Crosby - from
Denis Crosby.
k) Sewer Fairy
The fairy living in the sewers is a product of Heather\Alessa's fantasies.
The fairy is looking for an honest person to give them a gold and silver
pipe (because we know that the sewers are practically swarming with honest
people). If Heather drops her steel pipe in the water and honestly answers
the fairy's question, she will receive a prize. No, two prizes! Why pipes?
Heh, I guess she couldn't find any better gifts in the sewers.
Origins of the legend: in reality, the story of the sewer fairy is a joke
on an ancient Roman myth. Since the myth existed as oral tradition, there
are several variants in existance, but all boil down to that: a poor man
who lived near a cost accidentally dropped his best axe in the water.
Unable to afford a new axe, he cried in despair. Learning of his plight,
Mercury went to the river's bottom and retrieved an axe made of pure
silver. But the honest man replied that it was not his axe. The same
repeated with a gold axe. And only then Mercury showed him his real axe
and the man said that it was his. Ensured of the man's honesty, Mercury
gave him all three tools. The next day, a greedy man, wishing to get rich,
also dropped his axe in the water, but when Mercury appeared with a gold
axe, he said that it was his. Angered by his lies, the god left him with
nothing.
l) Roger Widmark
Journalist, author of the tourist brochure for Silent Hill (which we find
in Heaven's Night). He was able to correctly portray the atmosphere of
peace in the town. He is also referenced in SH2.
m) Joseph Schreiber
The journalist, who wished to uncover the Ultimate Truth. He wanted to
uncover the mysteries of the Order by publishing an article in the locale
magazine "SH Times!". The subject of the article was the cult-owned
orphanage called Hope House, but as we see in SH3, the article didn't have
the intended effect and the cult continued their operations. It seems that
only psychos were interested in such publications - Heather find the
magazine in Brookhaven. As we learn from SH4, Schreiber didn't stop with
that "achievement" and also published an article about Wish House, this
time in "Concord' and then began an investigation of Walter Sullivan. See
Part 4, 4-5.
n) Eric
A great poet, whose writings inspired Stanley Coleman. Here's an example
of his work:
Flowing feely, your ebony hair
Like the night sky,
Scattering fragrance,
My heart, clamoring in my chest.
Like a storm you trifle with it
Your pristine glance.
Like a feast, when you smile
My thoughts, disturbed, my breath
Like opium, it drives me mad...
I wonder, how anyone can become inspired by this rhymeless piece.
o) Margaret
The tattoed man's supposed lover. "Margaret, let's swear our love until
death do us part" is tattoed on his heel.
p) Mr. Harris
One of the employees of Monica's Dance Studio, who had a map of Hilltop.
Nothing else is known about him. Some fans speculate that he was somehow
connected to Harry Mason, but no further information about him is given.
q) Danny
We see him in the Borley Haunted Mansion, in the room with the doll in
front of the TV and a corpse hanging from the ceiling. According to the
narrator, Danny was a quiet young man from New Orleans who lost his way
and ended up in Silent Hill. It is unknown whether he is referring to the
doll or to the hanging corpse. We can think that Danny was a victim of
some serial killer, or that he settled in SH and became a serial killer,
hanging people in his house.
r) Saint Jennifer
The cultist, who was executed by the Christians in what is now Rosewater
Park. Her faith in God remained strong even in the face of death. She
canonized posthumously (according to LM, this happened in the XIX century,
a short time after the Civil War) - her image can be seen in the Belfry
and in the illustrations to the myth.
s) Saint Nicholas.
The man, whose portrait can be seen in the Belfry and on the illustrations
to the myth. He was canonized for his exceptional medical skills and for
being the doctor of God. He looks very similar to Valtiel and his robe is
an almost complete copy (or should I say "original"?) of the clothing that
was later worn by executioners.
t) Saint Steven.
The man who spent his life trying to restore the lost scripture of the
Order.
u) Angela?
However strange it may sound, we can see Angela Orosco in the game. The
mall in the beginning of the game is full of SH2 posters with her face on
them. But that is not all. When the closer in the mall is eating his
victim, look closely at the corpse - it's Angela! How? What is she doing
here?
There are several theories:
1) When Heather saw the poster with Angela's face, the image stuck in her
subconsciousness and manifested itself in the Otherworld.
2) The real Angela somehow ended up in Alessa's world and is now doomed to
eternal suffering.
3) The developers were too lazy to make a new model + they wanted to play
with the fans a little (this is the theory the author prefer)
v) Maria
In Heaven's Night Heather can find a poster, depicting a strip dancer with
LONG DARK hair. The poster reads: "The Return of Lady Maria! From 8:00 pm
on the 27th!". This is an explanation of the events of SH2 - there really
was a Maria, working in the club and she served as the prototype for
James' Maria. The fact that her performance has yet to happen by SH3 may
be a hint at the chronology of the games.
Another depiction of Maria is on the cover of the aforementioned "SH
Times!", which could mean that she was something of a local star.
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
4. CHARACTERS OF SILENT HILL4 THE ROOM
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
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The main character of SH4 is, of course, Walter Sullivan. Basically, the whole
plot revolves around him and his tragic story. So, in this section he will get
the most attention. I'll try to make my analysis as good as it is possible.
4-1. Walter Sullivan. The way of Walter.
Age: 24 (+10 years in his world)
Social Status: Univeristy Student
34 years before the events of SH4 a boy who was to be named Walter Sullivan
was in born in Room 302 of South Ashfield Heights. But this new life brought
joy neither to him, nor to his parents. He wasn't wanted, nobody needed him
("I told you we shouldn't have a baby, didn't I?!"). His parents abandoned him
soon after he was born and left him to die in Room 302 ("Ran off just like
thieves in the night." - Walter writes in his diary), leaving only a few
blurry images in his memory.
Abandoned babies usually died (and Walter had a good chance of not being found
in time, which is probably what his parents wanted - else, they could have
given him to someone). But what does not kill me, makes me stronger, right?
Memories of their first moments in life seem to haunt abandoned children for a
long, long time and Walter was not an exception.
For some time, he lay in Room 302. This apartment was the FIRST THING HE SAW
(many higher animals, including humans, tend to remember the first thing they
see as their mother - this is one of the reasons to Walter's delusions later
in life). Also there was his umbilical cord. He thought that it was the cord
that connected him to his mother (see how the image of his mother as an
APARTMENT forms step by step), but now this cord has been cut ("There once was
a baby and a mother who were connected by a magical cord. But one day the cord
was cut") and he was left in this cruel world, alone ("The baby was left all
alone.").
The newborn boy was supposed to die, Room 302 was supposed to be the first and
the last thing he saw. But, fortunately for him, this did not happen. The
superintendant - Frank Sunderland, found the baby before he died, called an
ambulance and Walter was taken to St.Jerome's hospital (the hospital not far
from SAHapts, where Rachel works and where Mary and Laura will be receiving
treatment), where he was at last saved. But did he really need or want to be
saved, only to be left in this life which brings only suffering? Maybe he
would've preferred to die in the apartment, next to his mother, than to
continue his existance in the horrifying "Hospital World"? As we see in the
game, the hospital made a terrible impression - his mother was somewhere far
away and he was surrounded by evil strangers.
The boy was named Walter Sullivan and soon sent to Silent Hill - to an
orphanage, belonging to the Silent Hill Smile Support Society charity
organization. To the Wish House. This was yet another unfortunate turn in
Walter's destiny - Wish House was run by the "red" sect, the members of which
believed in creating Paradise (and reviving God, of course) through violence
and blood sacrifice, refined in the ritual of the 21 Sacraments and the
Descent of the Holy Mother. The children were taught that the surrounding
world is hostile, that they should fear it (remember the note near the gate?)
and that only in the confines of the sect's temple were they safe. Safe like
in a mother's womb. Also they were taught the "red" scriptures and the sect's
understanding of God and Paradise. Jimmy Stone and George Rosten helped the
children learn to read (so that they could study the holy scriptures) and
write ("I like to write. Teacher told me how."). They told Walter about the
five sacred swords for fighting the souls of the dead, which fear only these
swords, magic medallions and candles. It was in the Wish House he learned
about the 21 Sacraments. When they got older, the children were influenced
more actively - to convince them that the outside world is evil, they were
taken "outside" - to the Water Prison, where Andrew DeSalvo fulfilled his
sadistic fantasies. Thus Walter's life became a "zebra": reading holy
scriptures (no suffering) - sitting in the tower (suffering). Soon he got the
impression that without the scriptures there is only suffering.
Even though "the baby made lots of friends at Wish House, and everyone was
very nice to him. The baby was happy.", Walter was not happy in the orphanage
(how could he? with people like DeSalvo... "He beat me up after it.") - the
cult was using him to reach its own goals and didn't care about him or his
feelings.
Sullivan wanted someone to care about him. Someone like his mother.
-----------------------------
a) Walter Sullivan's Diary.
When he was 6 (i.e. 28 years before the events of SH4) Walter started a diary.
Although, in the game we don't see the diary itself - it's Walter's memories
of what he wrote there, implicated through these writings.
October 1st.
Walter starts a diary. Even though he understands that no one will see it, he
still like to write - he need to express his thoughts and feelings. Maybe,
laying his thoughts on paper he wants to make his link with the world
stronger, hoping that someday somebody will find this diary and read it (the
writings on stones is just that - his desire for his thoughts to live on
forever). He hoped to somebody, who would be interested in his fate. Maybe he
should've become a writer like Harry Mason? %)
October 2nd.
Walter found a friend at last - Bob. But, playing with him, he went outside
the orphanage grounds and wandered into the cemetary. As we know, leaving WH
was prohibited (because there was a danger of children learning that the world
is not as terrible as they are told). When DeSalvo caught them, he beat
Sullivan up.
Note: Bob is not Bob Randolph. He wasn't born then.
October 3rd.
The two boys left the orphanage again. This time they saw the Mother Stone,
which made a strong impression on Walter, though it seemed a little spooky.
Walter was again beaten by DeSalvo.
October 4th.
Looks like Andrew went a bit too far with his beatings - Walter still feels
pain ("My cheek hurts."). His hatred is growing ("I hate him!"), which fits
the cult's way perfectly. But a God born from hate can never create a perfect
Paradise...
October 5th.
Now the beatings continue even though Walter does nothing bad ("I got hit
agein. I didn't do aneething wrong") - of course, DeSalvo is using Walter for
his own pleasure, but there is also something else. "There is another reason:
to fill your heart with hatred. It must be this way. One day you will
understand why." (though Andrew wasn't really a believer). Walter's hatred is
growing rapidly, now he really wants DeSalvo to die ("I wish he wuz ded!").
October 6th.
Reading lessons start in the orphanage. Children, who can't understand the
scriptures are taken to the Water Prison. Just a few days ago another friend
of Walter was locked up there - John. Now Walter is very scared - he is afraid
of being taken there.
October 13th
Walter failed at reading and was locked up for a week (during which he
couldn't write). But today they let him go, though John is still in there.
There are reading lessons tomorrow and Walter is going to try very hard not to
get into the Prison again.
October 14th.
Today Walter read "21 Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother" - it was
hard, but he made it. Today he is happy.
October 15th.
Bob is dead. Walter is sure that DeSalvo murdered him. Probably, the sadist
overdid it and accidentaly killed the kid. Or was Bob used as a sacrifice? In
the Forest World we can find something wrapped up in a cloth and pierced with
metal spikes - somewhat reminiscent of the executions in Toluca Prison. Maybe
Andrew knowingly killed Bob for misbehaving?
October 16th.
Immediately after DeSalvo killed Bob, the orphanage was visited by several
important members of the "yellow" sect. Among them was Dahlia Gillespie, who
has come to meet with her friend Leonard Wolf. Strange - an important visit
just after a murder (sacrifice?). Maybe it's linked somehow? Maybe Dahlia came
to check if the "reds" were able to summon God?
October 17th.
Walter is becoming more and more disappointed in people. He wanted to find a
person, who would be close to him, but no one was there. Not even his loving
mother, whom he wanted so much. But with each passing day he lost hope.
And the Dahlia Gillespie felt sorry for him (right - what good is a cult
member who's losing faith?). She looked through the children's files and told
him a fairy tale. A happy fairy tale, in which Walter still had his mother
waiting for him in Ashfield. In his absence she was asleep and only Walter
could wake her (yep, you got it right - it's a remake of "Snow-white"). To top
it off, she lectured him about Succubi (remember the Succubus card in Walter's
world). And Walter believed her (Dahlia was a VERY persuasive person) - maybe
somewhere deep down he knew, that his parents abandoned him and he was alone,
but he couldn't accept this thought and chose to believe in a fairy tale. Now
he had a goal in his life, he knew that there was someone waiting for him. Now
he was happy - he passed all the challenges and acquired Hope.
October 18th.
The sadistic tortures become more and more widespread in the cult. The
children are taken to the Water Prison even if they didn't do anything wrong
and however good they are at reading. But Walter is strong, he will endure for
God and for his Mother. DeSalvo often comes into his cell on the second floor
and forces him to drink water with leeches - "I had to drink something with
black things in it." (the consequences of Dahlia's teachings about the Incubus
- idiots like DeSalvo thought that by feeding them leeches they could make
them "Incubators"). Sullivan wants him dead ("That guy, the fat one...Next
time I'll stick this triangle sword into that pig!") - this wish found its way
into Walter's subconscious world.
Over time, Walter gets used to confinement. Being unable to see the real
world, he begins to imagine his own world, in which, for example, the tower
stands in the middle of a large body of water, works as a hydroelectric plant
and that it rotates. After a short time he is unable to tell his fantasies and
reality apart.
At the same time he hears rumors among the orphans that there's a morgue next
to the Prison's dining hall and that they serve human meat there ("I heard
there's a death chamber behind the kitchen, and they take meat straight from
the dead people and cook it.").
October 21st.
Now they only let him out on Sundays when he has reading lessons. Walter is
already quite good at reading and understands some of the scriptures better
("I read realy good today too!" - "That kid, Walter... He was really into that
mumbo jumbo... Especially that "Descent of the Holy Mother" business... ") and
when Dahlia learned about it, she decided to encourage the talented child -
she told him that if he can read the 21 Sacraments really good, he will see
his Mother.
October 28th.
Dahlia has kept her word and Walter is let out of the Wish House so that he
can make a trip to Ashfield. This is going to be quite a long way for a
6-year-old kid and his teachers are preparing him for the worst, telling him
again and again how horrible the outside world is. Thus, Walter is already is
already expecting to see a bad place.
The lessons pay off and Walter is scared of the big city around him. He's used
to expect the worst from people and here he is surrounded by them - each of
these people seems very scary and evil to Walter, who associated them with
DeSalvo. He wanted to hide - he would feel more comfortable in his cell, than
in this hostile world, but he had a goal - to find his Mother.
Somehow Sullivan makes his way to SAHapts and finds Room 302, where his mother
slept. But no matter how much he knocked on the door and screamed, Mother did
not let him in. He even tried to offer her gifts ("Mommy, I'll giv you this so
pleez wake up soon.") but still had no luck. Despite this failure, Walter
still knew that she is there and she WANTS TO LET HIM IN, but she is sleeping
and cannot open the door, so he need to wake her up. Let us try to rebuild
Walter's trail of thoughts:
"I need to wake Mommy so that she can let me and I can be with her, protected
from these evil people. But how do I do this? In the fairy tale, the prince
kissed Snow-white and she woke. So, what do I have to do with Mommy? The
important lady said that I can see Mommy if I can read the 21 Sacraments
really well. That means Mommy is somehow linked with "21 Sacraments for the
Descent of the Holy Mother". Alright, what does this book say? It say that to
bring the Holy Mother into this world a ritual must be performed ("Walter
became preoccupied with one particular tract from the cult's Bible.. "By the
Sacraments, the Holy Mother shall appear in the countries of the world" -
Joseph Schreiber). Holy Mother... Mommy... I got it! I need to perform this
ritual - then Mommy will wake up and let me in. Okay, don't forget, Mommy is
in Room 302, Mommy is in Room 302, Mommy is in Room 302" - thus, in Walter's
mind the word "Mommy" became associated with "Holy Mother" (which practically
had no connection whatsoever to Walter's mother) and "Room 302". Over time
"Mommy is in Room 302" transformed into "Mommy is Room 302".
February 10th.
Walter makes a second trop to Ashfield. Again, he didn't see his mother. He
becomes more and more convinced that only the ritual can wake her up. In the
subway he met some "mean girls" (hookers?), which told him something which
scared him ("Some mean girls in the train said mean stuff to me"). Most
probably this "mean stuff" is something about sexuality because in Walter's
subconscious world the subway is associated with "Temptation".
In Wish House, Walter is again beaten up by DeSalvo.
March 17th.
As we can see, Walter doesn't write much now and prefers to keep his feelings
to himself. March 17th is his fourth visit to Ashfield. He still believes that
his mother is in Room 302 - he once again tries to open the door and it opens!
But, to his disappointment, his mother is not there. There was someone renting
Room 302 at that moment ("the apartment where mommy is has a scary guy in
it"). It could've been anyone - Schreiber, a total stranger, even James!
Walter was shocked. Mommy was not in Room 302. That means he is really all
alone. But he couldn't accept this as reality, couldn't think that Dahlia was
lying, and gave in to his delusions: when he realized that mother is not IN
Room 302, he decided that his mother IS Room 302. The apartment is his Mother
(his earliest memories also contributed to this).
Then Mommy is an apartment. She is asleep and the only way to wake her up is
"21 Sacraments for the Descent of the Holy Mother"
-----------------------------
During the following 10 years, Walter is obsessed with his Mother, visiting
Ashfield every week. It is the only meaning of his life (not even life, his
whole existance). Of course, his visits are not welcome by the residents,
especially Richard Braintree, who can't stand children ("Braintree, that
prick. He's always yelling at kids."). He threatens Walter with a gun. A real
GUN!
Walter saw nothing good from other people - DeSalvo beat him up in Wish House,
Braintree almost killed him in SAHapts, in the Garland's Pet Store he turned
over a cage and angered Steve Garland... He hated the world, wanted to hide,
but couldn't ("I want to hide , but i can't hide"). He wanted his mother to
protect him from the outside world and all the evil people. If only he could
come back to Mother's womb and leave the world behind.
"He was still filled with bitterness and resentment towards the rest of the
world.". Note that he doesn't think of his mother as a human being (something
like "All humans are evil, Mommy can't be one of them"). He probably didn't
think HIMSELF a human being - he's a son of an apartment (this is emphasized
by the clearly inhuman moan when you deliver the final strike). People have
rejected him, so he has rejected them. Walter is clearly misanthropic (just
look at how the "people" in his world). In part, his real parents are to blame
(see below).
------------------------------
b) Walter Sullivan and his biological parents.
Walter must have realized that he had real parents - not Room 302, but
ordinary people - they just abandoned him. But this thought made him suffer,
led into despair and he refused to believe it, rejecting the thoughts and
memories of his real parents. But deep in his subconscious, these thoughts
still live, feeding his hatred towards them.
Young Walter, when asked about his parents, says: "Yeah...but I never met
'em... They left South Ashfield Heights right after I was born. But soon I'll
get to see my mom." He KNOWS that they abandoned him, but on the other hand,
he wants to believe that they were not his real parents and that his mother is
Room 302.
c) Memories of his real mother
Walter saw his biological mother only once - right after he was born. Since
then he has been trying to forget her, convince himself that she does not
exist and that he was born of thr apartment, his ideal Mother.
But memories don't disappear easily - thus, Henry Townshend gains Walter's
"lost memories" when he picks up the umbilical cord. For a moment, we can see
Walter's mother. It seems she was a blonde. Yeah, "blondes have more fun"...
Note that the body being dissected by Walter in the beginning of the Hospital
World is that of blonde-haired woman, symbolizing his mother. Also note that
he is cutting into her belly. In fact, he is performing an abortion - his
thoughts that a child would be better off dead than born into this world by
such a mother and be doomed to suffer for the rest of his existance. And THEN
we encounter these horrible "mothers" with holes in their wombs (yes, they're
NOT nurses or patients. They are monsters, embodiments of Walter's hatred for
his mother). I should also point out that in the "spiral" we can female
corpses with their bellies pierced by spears - also a symbol of abortion.
Even though he believes in Dahlia's fairy tale, Walter still acknowledges the
existance of and hates his real mother, which later transforms into a general
fear and loathing of women (that's why the "mean girls" scared him so much).
d) Memories of his real father
We can also find mentions of the father in Walter's world. On the first floor
of SAHapts there a 6 bodies of hanged men. These are the memories of Walter's
father mixed with his hatred for him. Walter wanted to punish him for
abandoning his own son ("Hurry up -- get packed!") and here he is - hanging
here, even though that's just Walter's imagination.
Also, in Walter's sketchbook we can see a drawing of his father - a figure
with a crossed out head. This means that Walter is trying to forget him - he
made an image of him, but then destroyed it to never see him again. Also we
can hear Walter say "Dad , I can't see your face" - he has forgotten his face
completely, erased the memories.
e) Walter Sullivan and Eileen Galvin
When he was 16, Walter met Eileen Galvin, who was a small girl then: "She was
younger than me back then... She looked so happy holding her mother's hand..."
- this meeting made a stong impression on Walter. Eileen was kind to him, even
gave him a doll: " I got this from Miss Galvin a long, long time ago..." -
note the kindness and respect with which he adresses her - "Miss Galvin" -
this little girl became the only person, who did not reject him. She just gave
him a little attention and a doll - not much, it would seem, but Walter was
delighted to finally feel, that he is not alone.
But, unfortunately, the link with the imaginary Mother (and imaginary world)
proved stronger that the link with Eileen (and the real world) - in the
future, Walter will choose the apartment, but will he wholly accept this
decision, or will some part of him protest against sacrificing her?
-------------------------------
Three years later (Walter's 19) Claudia comes to power, the sadist Leonard is
removed from the Holy Mother sect (removed to Brookhaven) and Toby Archbolt is
placed in Wish House. Now children are just brainwashed and are not used to
summon God (they're looking for Alessa to do this - "Have you found Alessa
yet? Send me a report.") and Walter finally leaves the orphanage.
He moves to a nearby town of Pleasant River and enters the university to study
medicine ("All 10 of Sullivan's victims were found with their hearts cut out
and their chest wounds sewn together EXPERTLY with thread." - it seems the 21
Sacraments were not his only area of expertise).
-----------------------------
f) Doctor Walter Sullivan
But why did he choose medicine? Lisa Garland became a nurse to help people,
but Walter had other goals in his mind - maybe he was preparing for the 21
Sacraments all this time and became a surgeon to perform all the gruesome
parts of the ritual as precise as possible? Or maybe he wanted to perform
abortions to "save" children? Or maybe he just got his kicks by dissecting
human bodies?
In any case, Walter wasn't going to save any lives with his knowledge - his
main goal was to "reanimate" Room 302, so that it can take him in.
------------------------------------
For the next 5 years Walter lives in Pleasant River, studies in the university
and is overall an ordinary student ("He didn't look like the type of guy who
would kill kids."). On weekends he works part-time in Albert's Sports store in
Ashfield (which means he still visits Ashfield each week). But, as Schreiber
notes in his diary, "he was still filled with bitterness and resentment
towards the rest of the world." - he couldn't come to terms with this cruel
world ("I guess now that I think of it, he was kinda crazy.") and couldn't let
go of his delusions. Thus, on the 8th day of an unknown month his desire to
unite with Mother takes over and he starts the ritual of 21 Sacraments for the
Descent of the Holy Mother.
---------------------------
g) The meaning of the ritual.
So, why didn't Mother wake up? According to Walter's beliefs, people are the
cause of all the suffering in this world and Mother doesn't want to wake up
into this "bad" world. So, he needs to cleanse her from the taint of the human
world ("He decided to "free" her from the stains and corruption of this world.
At the orphanage, he learned of the "21 Sacraments," the only way to purify
her.").
Walter studied the Silent Hill religion (he even read the "blasphemous"
Crimson Tome of the rival sect) and knew that through the 21 Sacraments (and
the Holy Assumption) he could create a new world ("Through the Ritual of the
Holy Assumption, he built a world.") - maybe in this world Mother would be
more willing to wake up?
This was his last hope - for his Mother, for his childhood dream and for his
life, he decides to perform this ritual.
---------------------------------------
Walter comes to Silent Hill to fetch the White Chrism and Obsidian Goblet from
the Wish House basement and, according to the Victims List, kills Jimmy Stone
- "01121" (Walter chose his victims carefully - see Part 2 14-2. Stone was the
first because he symbolised the "Mage" Tarot card), returns to Pleasant River,
kills Randoplh and Martin, then Garland and Albert in Ashfield, then Rosten,
the Lockanes in Silent Hill and finally William Gregory and Erik Walsh in
Ashfield. He removed the hearts of all his victims, sewed the wounds together
and cut out the numbers and his own name - the name, which was given him by
people ("That's what everybody calls me, but I don't really have a name.").
There was no turning back and with each murder Sullivan got closer and closer
to his Mother, leaving the real world behind.
It took him 10 days to make these sacrifices. The police was shocked. By the
time they gathered their wits, Walter was preparing to perform the Holy
Assumption, but he didn't get that chance. On the 18th day of the same month
he was arrested and put in jail.
Sullivan's consciousness has already shifted into the "misty" stage and he saw
the real world through the lens of his subconscious world - saw his victims,
drawn into this world and probably was horrified: "He's trying to kill me.
He's trying to punish me. The monster... the red devil.". The Red Devil is, of
course, the ghost of Jimmy Stone, whom Walter has seen in his own world - the
victim pursued his murderer, continuing his existance in Walter's world.
Walter spent 4 days in the Silent Hill prison, surrounded by his victims, his
mind submerging into the subconscious world more and more. He couldn't take
this anymore and finally, on the night of the 22th day comitted suicide by
stabbing himself in the neck with a spoon.
Rejected by all, he died a terrible death away from his Mother, to whom he
devoted his whole life. He couldn't perform the Holy Assumption and complete
the 21 Sacraments. He only wanted to be reunited with his mother. Was his
dream still to come true, or was death the end of it all?
Early on the 22th day Walter's body was found by a guard and it was determined
that he died from blood loss. After that it was buried in the Silent Hill
cemetary not far from Wish House. Fans can pay their respects to Walter
Sullivan in SH2, when James finds his grave.
People and the media were shocked by these murders, but mostly by the fact
that the killer didn't even try to hide his name. The case became known as the
Walter Sullivan Case and Walter himself became a hero for all psycho satanic
freaks and fans of SH ("After that, his name became famous all over the
world").
Ironically, nobody wanted him when he was alive, but after dying he became
somewhat of celebrity, whose life was open to the public (remember Schreiber's
research); only after rejecting the world completely he became a part of it.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I never pointed out WHERE Walter was arrested because there is
no info on that whatsoever and the article in SH2 leads us to believe that he
was caught in SH, so I have two theories:
1) Sullivan was caught in Ashfield after he killed 09121 and 10121 and was
taken to Silent Hill to be judged for the murder of the Lockanes (especially
if Ashfield is really that close to Silent Hill - APD just handed him over to
the SHPD) and then he comitted suicide.
2) Sullivan killed Gregory and Walsh on the same day he killed Garland and
Albert, which would imply that he killed people according to their association
with the Tarot card and not in a strict order.
For now, I'm like the first variant more, but the second one is also quite
possible.
-----------------------------------
h) To die twice: Walter Sullivan's self-sacrifice. 11121.
There was no turning back for Walter - with each sacrifice he moved a step
closer to his Mother and further away from the real world, into his
subconscious. "Maybe killing you here is the only way to end this
nightmare...". When he comitted suicide, he just trapped himself in the
eternal prison of his "Otherworld".
Some time after his death, Walter found himself in the cemetary of the Forest
World - he came back to life, just like the Son of God. Did he realize, that
he is dead? The answer can be found in the occult magazine in SH3: "The souls
of those who had died suddenly BY SUICIDE or accident don't realize they're
dead.". That means Walter did not know that he only continues to exist in his
subconscious world (just as Lisa and Harry, if you got the bad ending, didn't
know they were only a part of Alessa's world).
Walter still had his fanatical faith and desire to reunite with his mother and
they brought him back to existance in this twisted world. He decides complete
the self-sacrifice (actually, he has already completed HA: he has "freed
himself from the chains of the flesh and gained the Power of Heaven" - he just
hadn't realized it yet. See Part 2, 14-2). In his world, he gets the hearts
and the items he needed for the ritual and then uses the Subway World to reach
the Building World, from where he finally gets to the Apartment World.
Finally, he will be able to see Mother. He has waited so long for this moment!
The joy is overwhelming, of course he will sacrifice his own life for her, he
will do anything for her. As his desire grows, so does the influence of his
world (i.e. the strength of the psychic energy affecting people) and for a
short time draws in Frank Sunderland and Richard Braintree.
Walter climbs the stairs to the 3rd floor of Soth Ashfield Heights apartments,
carrying the Great Knife (that "heavy tool", which is mentioned in the game
and which we find in the secret room), the Obsidian Goblet ("an old-looking
bowl") and the 10 hears ("and a bag that was dripping blood"). In his world no
one can stop him and he finally enters Room 302. First and foremost he must
lock it with many locks so that nobody can enter and taint his mother with
human presence. Then he enters his secret room and performs the Holy
Assumption next to the "birthing hole" - he uses blood, the Goblet and the
White Chrism, cuts 11121 on his legs and literally sews his body on the black
cross with raven feathers (note that the "thread" looks organic in nature - an
umbilical cord? "magical cord"?). Finally! The Holy Assumption is complete and
now Walter can move on.
i) Division
In the beginning Walter was bound to the real world by his physical body. With
its death his consciousness continued to exist in his subconscious world. But
the division did not end here.
After Walter performs the Holy Assumption his identity is split in two: one is
the 24 year old Walter, and the other is the 6 year old Wally. The "real"
Walter still hangs in the secret room as a mixture of Walter's thoughts about
the ritual and his belief that it is his real body - "The souls of those who
had died suddenly BY SUICIDE or accident don't realize they're dead.". It is
unknown wether either of them knew that this world is not real, but it's
worthy of note that in the end young Walter says "I'm gonna stay with you,
forever.." - is this just a metaphor, or does he really know that they will
exist forever?
Thus, even two deaths did not stop Walter on his way to wake Mother - now he
continues the 21 Sacraments - "Now...he's become nothing more than an inhuman
killing machine...Well, he's dead now...but he's trying to complete...the "21
Sacraments."
j) Young Walter
This is the felicitative side of Walter's personality, which desires happines
and reunion with the Room. Note that Walter doesn't really care about the
Room, only about his own happiness ("Mom , let me in!!") - this is typical
childhood egoism. Also note, that young Walter uses words like "I", "me",
"my". Let's look at some quotes.
Henry's meeting with Wally:
"That's what everybody calls ME, but I don't really have a name." ;
"Yeah...but I never met 'em..." ;
"They left South Ashfield Heights right after I was born." ;
"But soon I'LL get to see MY mom." ;
"Yeah, of course -- right where I was born" ;
"Lots of people tried to stop ME." ;
"I gotta hurry." - during this one small meeting Walter mention HIMSELF 9
times.
Now let's look at Walter's meeting with little Wally:
"I'M going to see MY mom!" ;
"Stay outta MY way!" ;
"But that's MY name..." ;
Also, when we see Wally knocking on the door of Room 302, he yells "Mom, let
ME in!!" and in the 21 Sacraments ending he says:
"Mom , I'M home..." ;
"I won't let anyone get in MY way..." ;
"I'M gonna stay with you, forever......"
So, as we can see, his egoism is overwhelming. It's hard to blame a 6 year old
child for this - he wants happiness, of which he was stripped at birth (and it
was NOT his fault at all). His happiness is in finding a loving Mother, who
would care about him and protect him from the evil world. In other words -
Walter just wants peace.
Also interesting is the fact that Walter's memory split with his personality -
young Walter doesn't know anything about the 21 Sacraments ("And what are the
"21 Sacraments"?") but he remembers the basic scriptures of the cult ("It said
in the Scriptures that I'll be with her.").
k) Adult Walter
This is the destructive, yet altruistic side of Walter's personality - his
only reason to exist is the completion of the 21 Sacraments and the awakening
of the beloved Room, i.e. young Walter's happiness ("Hey there, little
Walter... Just a little longer now... ") - we see that adult Walter exists not
for himself, but for his young "half" (he says "I" only three times in the
course of the game - feel the difference!).
This is quite sad - to exist only for the sake of an imaginary world,
imaginary apartment, a childhood hope - but he has no other reason to exist
(reminds you of Maria, doesn't he?). Even sadder is the fact that he has no
future - he lives only to wake Mother and as soon as the 21 Sacraments are
complete and Wally attains his happiness, Walter's reason for existance will
be gone and he will disappear. That means that even completing the ritual
won't make him happy and even young Walter won't say a word of gratitude to
him, oblivious to his "brother"'s sacrifice. But Walter has already accepted
his fate - he must play his role in this, whatever it takes... he will
sacrifice himself and everybody else... for Mother, for a childhood dream.
Let's take a look at Walter in the 21 Sacraments ending. He is standing
against the wall, hands and head down - it seems as if he is asleep. Is he...
dead? After Mother's awakening he has no reason to exist. He has done all he
could - gave life to the Room, happiness to Wally. And got nothing in return.
There is only one thing left for him to do for his "brother" - leave Room 302
forever. And for little Wally he does, drowning into oblivion.
Here's a lullaby to close your eyes...Goodbye...
He has finally found the peace he longed for.
l) Physical Analysis
Let's start with the face. Look at his eyes, it seems that he is look
somewhere far away, not noticing anything\anybody around here (this is
especially visible in the final cutscene before the boss fight). This could
mean that he is a very distant person, and also means thoughtfullnes and\or
persistance.
An interesting point is his hair: according to the Victims List Sullivan is
100% blond, but in his world his hair is a much darker color. Why? As we
recall, his mother was a blonde (which means he inherited the hair color from
her) and Walter, believing in the Room and hating his real mother, tried his
best to erase her image and the fact that he is her son from his head. Thus,
the change of this color comes from his delusions.
Now let's take a look at Walter's long hair. Psychologists say that long
haired people are usually easy to hurt and\or are very persistant. That, or
Walter was a metallist (yeah, I can already imagine Walter shaking his head to
something like Cradle of Filth %)) ). Or maybe he just couldn't afford going
to a hairdresser...
Now the clothing. What does Walter wear? A coat. When do people wear coats?
When they're cold. In this case, the cloak is a symbol of Walter's loneliness,
or the coldness of his hear. Although, it could also symbolize his wish to not
"taint himself" with human blood. It is somewhat reminiscent of Claudia's
clothes, so the coat could also have some religious significance.
Next let us look at the color of the coat. It's dark blue. What is the meaning
of blue color?
-Blue is "deep". It never ends, draws you inside (think, think!). The meaning
of color is often underestimated. It creates a good atmosphere for
philosophical reflecting on life, searching for truth and reason... It doesn't
give any answers, though, but it can create a very melancholic mood and even a
kind of weakness. It provides not sensual, but spiritual experiences. Blue is
the color of persistance, loyalty, a solemn color.
-In many myth blue is a color of the divine, a mysterious color.
-Blue can symbolize LOSS OF REALITY, DREAMING, FANATISM - in one way or
another it means escaping reality. Fictional mages and sorcerers are often
clothed in blue, so it's not suprising that the "conjurer" in SH4 wears a blue
coat.
-Dark blue is the color of dreams ("Oh, man...What a dream... "). It is very
deep and can be depressing, summoning uneasiness, solemnity, sadness and
despair.
-Blue can create a physical desire to rest.
Professional psychologists often use a theory of "colored children", which
helps to determine a child's personality according to his or her favorite
color.
-Children that like blue are usually calm and like to do things thoroughly,
without haste
-These children think things through. They tend to be selfless because they
get more pleasure from giving than receiving. Appropriately, adult Walter
works to complete the ritual not for himself, but for Mother and Wally.
-Often children choose blue not because they are calm and peaceful, but
because they need peace at the given moment. Remember Walter's wish for peace.
-"Blue" children have a RICH INNER WORLD (remember SH4), are sensual and
artistic. They are also easily give in to outside influence and suggestions
(Dahlia's fairy tale)
As we can see, blue color is THE color for Walter Sullivan.
Walter's coat is stained with blood - this can have different meanings. On one
hand we have the blood on his victims, but on the other hand, if you look
carefully, you'll notice that most of the blood is on the upper part of the
coat, near his neck. And Walter pierced his neck with a spoon, so this could
be HIS blood. Summing it up, the coat means "despair and desire of peace that
lead to escape from reality through death", where "death" would mean either
his sacrifices, or his suicide.
m) Good Walter, bad Walter. Which one of the Walters is good and which one is
bad?
A good question, that has been discussed among the fans for a long time.
According to most fans, young Walter is the good guy. Let's take a closer look.
On one hand, Wally is quite an egoist and desires only HIS OWN happiness, but
on the other hand, let's remember Vincent's words: "I’m just looking out for
myself. Everyone does it.". So, young Walter acts quite ordinarily and thus
his link with reality is a bit stronger than that of the "altruistic" Walter.
Accordingly, Wally wants his Mother to wake, but his connection to the real
creates self-contradiction and he saves the only close HUMAN - Eileen Galvin.
Unlike Wally, adult Walter has distanced himself from the world so much that
he would kill anyone to wake Mother - even Eileen (although even he has doubts
- remember the conversation on the stairwell). Schreiber writes "Now...he's
become nothing more than an inhuman killing machine...". But is this really
so? Walter may have become a killer, he may not think of himself as a human
being anymore, but all he does he does not for himself - maybe "love" is not
the most appropriate word, but he really does love the Room and Wally and is
willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to make them happy.
"A game of turning white to black and black to white..."
Thus we come to the conclusion that the characters of the Silent Hill series
(in this case Walter and Wally) are too complex and rich too put into the
traditional bounds of "good" and "bad" (though Walter could be described as
"badass" %) - translator's note).
n) The secret meaning of the "Killing Machine".
In the final confrontation the player can get a clear look at the "Killing
Machine". It was "invented" by Walter when he was 6. Look at the child's
drawing near Room 105 - we see that a man was thrown into this machine and
chopped into pieces. This means that the Killing Machine was born from
Walter's hatred for people and its main purpose is to... well, kill. These
fantasies have found their place in his subconscious world - will Eileen be
chopped up, or does Sullivan still doubt his own decision and she can escape
the terrible fate?
Now let's take a closer look at the machine itself: several huge spiked rings
spin around a massive metallic core like pendulums. Anybody who approaches
this contraption probably won't live to regret this. In actuality, the Killing
Machine symbolizes Walter, who, after being rejected by the world, surrounded
himself with similar "spikes", so that no one could approach him and cause him
pain. And inside this Killing Machine the child (the core) can finally hide.
But to make it work, the Machine needs to be placed in a pool of blood. That
means that the Machine works as a sort of hydroelectric plant. Now, I think,
the meaning of the Killing Machine is made obvious.
o) Walter Sullivan and the Umbilical Cord.
One of the strongest of Walter's memories is that of the umbilical cord. He
thought that it was that very "magic cord" that linked him to the Room, but at
one point was cut, parting him with his mother ("There once was a baby and a
mother who were connected by a magical cord. But one day the cord was cut, and
the mother went to sleep. The baby was left all alone.") - thus, on one hand
the child should hate the cord, but on the other hand it is a symbol of being
close to Mother.
The real cord was taken by Frank Sunderland, but the memories of the "magical
cord" continued to live in Walter's mind - it even came to life in his
subconscious world!
It resembles a disgusting worm ("greedy worm"), probably because Walter blames
the separation from Mother on the stupid Cord. But it is not a monster and
never threatens Sullivan, Henry or Eileen (a non-dangerous monster? Hmmm... I
swear there was something like that in SH3...).
The Umbilical Cord used to link Mother with her child, so for Walter it is a
symbol of his upcoming reunion, a symbol of closeness to the Room. Hey!
Haven't we heard it before? Let's see:
-Valtiel - a symbol of closeness to God, non-aggressive. God as the primary
feeling\desire.
-Umbilical Cord - a symbol of closeness to Mother, non-aggressive. Reunion
with Mother as Walter's primary desire.
So, the Greedy Worm is the "Valtiel" of Walter's subconscious world.
p) The fetus.
Obviously you've noticed the giant monstrous creature in the final battle. The
location of the final confrontation is the "Mother's womb" and the creature,
that is literally CONNECTED to it is the Walter-fetus, the God of Walter's
subconscious world and the embodiment of his strongest desire, on the
psychoenergy of which this whole world is built - the desire to be reunited
with his loving Mother. Will his wish come true? And will it make him happy?
------------------------
If you still think that the creature is Walter's Mother, then I'm going to
burst your bubble now:
-When you hit WALTER, the Fetus feels pain.
-The complexion of the God is obviously male.
-Quoting the Crimson Tome: "you must bury part of the Conjurer's mother's
flesh within the CONJURER'S TRUE BODY." - in WALTER's body.
------------------------
Note: although the Fetus is anthropomorphic, there is something inhuman in its
appearance and behaviour, something demonic, that instills horror (also
remember the inhuman moan). This is the result of Walter believing himself to
be a child of an apartment. Also, according to the Crimson Tome the fetus is
Walter's TRUE BODY, i.e. his most true and strongest consciousness.
q) Idea analysis
The whole story of Walter Sullivan spins around "un-existance": a child that
spent his whole childhood in "un-freedom", rejects the world. And what happens
when he finally gains freedom? He was unprepared for the world and protecting
himself from it became his main wish - he cannot rejoin the world and as a
result he locks himself in a cage of his own making. He dreamt of the Room, of
eternal peace, gained with leaving the world behind and locking himself inside
his own prison ("Mom! Let me in!"). That would seem against human nature and
are signs of a self-destructive attitude (a.k.a. Thanatos), but further in the
game we realize that it is just a mind's way of gaining stability. A person
who has grown used to confinement (he was TAUGHT that - we can't put down the
society's role in the development of this problem) cannot accept freedom in
any way because it turns their world and system of values upside down. Thus,
Walter continues to seek his "un-freedom" (of course, "freedom" and
"un-freedom" are extremely relative terms, but I think you understand the
difference) and, having found the Room, can no longer accept reality, because
it would destroy everything he believes in and kept believing in his Mother
until the very end.
We see that when the much needed stability, associated with "un-freedom", is
unreachable (when there is "un-satisfaction" in the desire for stability), the
desire only gets stronger and is transformed into a desire of "un-existance":
in a sense, Walter has been enchanted by his "un-existance" for all his life
(even by his own death - here you have suicidal tendencies). People, obsessed
with an idea of leaving this world usually imagine the moment of their death,
but in Walter's case the "un-existance" is quite different - coupled with
infantilism and his nostalgic wish to go back to the past ("I want to go back
to that time... Things were so good then..") he associated it with the time
before he was born, where he "un-existed" in this world. Thus, death has been
replaced by "being born back", but despite the seeming difference between
those two wishes it's still easy to see that this is just a different
realization of suicidal tendencies, developed from Walter's unwillingness to
accept the fact, that his dreams are suicidal in nature.
And so, the natural desire of stability, which is in itself not
self-destructive, when unsatisfied, becomes extremely self-destructive. If
this desire becomes too strong it grows into a wish to stop existing, leave
reality and turn to "un-existance". There's a distinct logical link in Walter
Sullivan's image - "Peace=un-existance".
Actually, Walter's self-destructive ideas were associated with his definition
and image of his Mother (who, according to his views, could be reached through
"un-existance") and became the main idea of his life, leading to tragic
consequences in the end. Even when he is put into the Water
Prison("un-freedom") he still wanted to attain oblivion, peace and finally
finds himself trapped in a world of his delusions. And again this is not
enough for him - he still wants "un-existance", on the concept of which his
whole world is built. Thus, he is doomed to exist forever in this unending
circle.
Of great importance is the fact that in his world Walter kills himself in Room
302 (desire of peace+subconscious desire of "un-existance"\death+association
of peace with Mother+association of Mother with the Room=suicide in the Room).
Also interesting is the fact that Walter is, in a sense, giving his Mother
back the life she gave him. By sacrificing himself, he return Mother to life
in a different world, where she may be happy.
Completely different from Walter is Henry, who fights and goes at lenghts to
get out of Sullivan's prison, but, ironically, every time he escapes, he gets
trapped in another cage and this desire for freedom and existance finally
brings him to the same womb as Walter. Before the final fight, when these two
different people finally meet face to face we can see, that they have much
more in common than we may have imagined.
r) Victims List Info
Name: Walter Sullivan
Occupation: Unknown (though it is hinted that he worked in the sports store in
Ashfield)
Gender\Special Info: middle aged white male (died at 24)
Height\Weight: 190 cm, 84 kg
Hobbies: Unknown (in the game we find out that he's interested in religion and
medicine)
Other: Unknown
Motive: Assumption
Method: Suicide by stabbing himself in the neck with a spoon.
Place: Cell of Silent Hill Prison
Item left: Spoon
s) Miscellaneous info
Quote (Wally): "Mom! Let me in!"
Quote (Walter): "Hey there, little Walter... Just a little longer now..."
Metaphor: Child of delusions
Symbol: Umbilical Cord
Music: Room of Angel, Melancholy Requiem, Resting Comfortably, Confinement
Additional sources of info:
Mishima Yukio - "Newspaper"
Murakami Ryu - "Coin Locker Babies"
I am sure you will find a lot of similarities with SH4 in these books. They
may help you get a better look and feel of Walter's world.
4-2. Henry Townshend, the way of Henry.
Age: unknown, probably around 30
---------------------------------------------------
a) Victims List info:
Victim 21/21
Name: Henry Townshend
Occupation: Unknown
Gender\features: White male
Height\Weight: 185 cm, 85 kg.
Hobbies: Photography, travelling.
Other: Visited Silent Hill.
Motive: Receiver of Wisdom
Method: Unsuccessful?\Unknown
Place: Unknown ("Otherworld" would be suiting)
Item left: Unknown (Well, Room 302 is left after Henry - that is his item)
---------------------------------------------------
Before the events of Silent Hill 4 Henry was an open person: he was interested
in photography, loved to travel, visited Silent Hill numerous times ("I went
sightseeing there a few years ago" - "I visited Silent Hill a lot of times
when I was that age")... So, he could just enjoy his life and go on as a happy
person (he has a happy smile on his childhood photo). But 2 years ago
something strange happened. Something changed in Townshend's soul.
Henry decided to rent an apartment and, strangely enough, he chose South
Ashfield Heights. As he remembers: "I was immediately attracted by the outside
of the building, as well as the view from the window here. When I moved here
two years ago, I almost felt like I was being drawn here". Indeed, it was like
some unseen force lured him to one apartment - apartment 302, which was the
place, where all hopes and dreams of a man named Walter Sullivan lay.
--------------------------------------------------------------
b) Why did Henry choose Room 302?
Answer: Room 302 was the place, where Walter's feelings and memories continued
to exist unseen in an endless cycle of his subconscious world (it was the
center of his psychic energies. See Part I).
What were Walter's feelings towards the apartment? Love. So, when Henry was
near SAHapts, he became influenced by Walter's energies and he also became
attracted to this apartment.
--------------------------------------------------------------
A lot in his life has change since he moved. He started a NEW life (yes, "new
life" in the SH4 intro is not just pretty words). The life, which Walter
dreamt of... Or was it life anyway? Let's look at Henry's life during these
two years.
During these two years living in SAHapts Henry never met his neighbors. Only
Eileen knows him a little ("I know his name and face, but that's about it."),
while, for example, Richard Braintree, does not know him at all ("he guy who
lives here... What's he like, anyway?"). Seems like Henry just closed himself
off from the world, locking himself in Room 302 (wasn't that what Sullivan
wanted?). Left the world, like a hermit.
The superintendant of SAHapts - Frank Sunderland - was the only man in SH4,
who knew Henry at all. But, as we see, their friendship did not last long -
Frank wanted to establish friendly relations with Henry and, when he learned
about his hobby, gave him a photo ("I got this photo from Frank Sunderland,
the super here at South Ashfield Heights." - note, that Henry doesn't say "I
got this photo from my friend Frank...", but only "I got this photo from Frank
Sunderland" - a formal way of adressing means that they weren't really close).
But Henry never supported this relationshiop, probably keeping their
conversations at the basic "Hello-Hello" level.
And now let's look at Henry's comments. He says that several years ago he went
to Silent Hill, but he hardly ever says anything about his two years in
SAHapts. All his comments about the apartment could be boiled down to one
sentence: "Everything's as it was when I moved. I didn't change anything."
Henry brought books, but didn't read a single one. His boots were bought in
Silent Hill and he never changed them. A reasonable question - how long has he
been walking around wearing those? And has he been walking around at all?
Maybe he just doesn't need new boots because he only leaves the Room when he
really needs to?
If, for example, he dies, will there be something left to prove that he ever
lived those two years? What would he leave? A child? Art? Memories? Nothing.
Even his neighbor next door does not remember his face.
So, what was Henry's life like during these two years? I think the answer is
obvious now...
These were two years of "un-existance", two years, that passed momentarily, a
series of gray, monotonic, useless days, blurring together and leaving no
memories...
---------------------------------------------------------
c) What was Henry's occupation?
Answer: What's Henry's job? Oooh! It's a great mystery - even the Victims List
only mentions that he was interested in photography and travelling, but his
occupation is unknown. Makes you think, doesn't it? Maybe he doesn't work at
all? Look at the place where he lives! A wealthy man wouldn't live in a cheap
motel with bloody handprints and meat on the walls %)
We know, that Henry doesn't GO to work (else, Richard Braintree would know
him), and, looking at his complexion, it becomes obvious that his work does
not require physical exertion. Thus, even if he has a job, it involves art and
allows him not to leave the Room. Now, let's take a quick peek at Henry's
desk. A pen, a ruler, several sketchbooks and a few big tomes, that look like
dictionaries. Maybe Henry's a writer? Works in some magazine and just sends
them his new works.
Also, there are some brochures there - one with a photo of a woman, another -
an empty room. So, maybe he creates small brochures, like Roger Widmark in
SH2\3?
In any case, we can only guess here. I think Konami leaves the player to think
this up for himself - without official info any version is right.
d) Appearance analysis.
Henry's looks are simple - a shirt, jeans and boots. Looks like Henry doesn't
care much about fashion or how he looks. Why look after that anyway if you
know, that in your loneliness no one will be here to notice that? Messy hair
is a feature of an artful person (heh, just watch "Secret window, secret
garden" and note the main character's hair style - you'll see what I'm talking
about). Also, it looks like Henry hasn't shaved in quite a while. Of course,
in a state of "un-existance" one quickly comes to a state of "un-shaving" %)
Henry's colors are white and light blue. Accordingly, these are usually
regarded as colors of purity (or death - in Asian cultures). White has a
meaning in many religions (color of the final sacrifice?). Blue means
everything associated with peace - relaxation, sleep, descent into dreams,
escape from reality etc. - fits Townshend neatly.
By the way, note how Henry looks so much like young Walter - hair style,
facial features... Very similar. It is not coincidental - I will adress this
question a few paragraphs later.
e) What is Henry's typical day like?
Answer: "Oblomov-style". No, seriously. If we look at the Room, there are...
center-points. The TV - seems like Henry spent a lot of time watching it. The
second one is the most important - it is the bed. Here's a rough picture of
Henry's day: he woke up, spent some time procrastinating in bed, got up,
walked to his couch, watched TV. He may have done some work inbetween. Work,
and drinking - note the bottle of wine in the fridge. Sometimes he just spent
time thinking about Silent Hill.
Well, there you have it. A very active lifestyle.
f) Why doesn't Henry speak much?
Answer: Yeah, Henry's a very quiet person (unlike, for example, Heather, who
talked about everything she saw). The reason why he doesn't say anything about
himself we have already uncovered (what can a man, who spent the last two
years in an apartment tell about himself?). Let's see: Henry is living away
from everyone, closed to people. Does he even need words? Words are needed to
transfer information to other people. Who did Henry communicate with? Nobody.
He could only talk to himself, which would mean just thinking aloud.
g) The meaning of the globe
Note the globe in Henry's room. This is a sign of his past interest in
travelling... Before his change, Henry wanted to see the world, visit
different countries and make photographs of the places he visited to remember.
But now, everything is different. The wish to see the world gave place for the
wish to hide from it in the apartment, and the wish to make good memories (and
leave a memory of himself) was replaced with the wish to drown into a dream
and leave this world behind.
Thus one system of values replaced another. Henry was more and more influenced
by the spirit of the Room, Walter's feelings. But he was happy. "Henry was
happy and enjoying his new life. One other thing... He couldn't leave Room
302... "
h) What does the message on the door mean?
"Don't go out. Walter."
Answer: Remember the notice in the Wish House? "The Outside is filled with
dangerous things. If someone goes Outside without an adult's permission, the
Master is sad." That's just it. This thought, being one of Walter's strongest,
manifests itself in his world and Henry sees it when he is drawn deeper and
deeper into Walter's world. Thus, "Don't go out" became somewhat of Henry's
motto. He "lived" with it for the past two years and was happy. But when he
sees his lifestyle from a different angle (Walter's angle, horribly distorted
and scary), when he sees his "motto" written on the door, Townshend says only
"What the hell...?"
Indeed, "What the hell...?". Without leaving this "hell", not going out of
this "hell", Henry lived (lived?) happily.
i) Why does Henry talk when he knows he's alone in the apartment?
Answer: We often hear Henry talk to himself ("Oh, man... What a dream... "),
especially in the beginning of the game. Question is - why does he do that?
Nobody can hear him, nobody hears his yells for help, nor his screams of
despair... Now Henry Townshend is left in complete loneliness and complete
silence, in the Room of absolute peace. In the Room of complete "un-existance".
This loneliness is exactly the reason why Henry speaks to himself so much. In
the absence of real people, Townshend tries talks with an imagined person to
create at least a shade of an illusion of life. Left in complete silence, he
tries to break it, fill the emptiness. But can he fill his empty soul alone?
Can oppose Walter's crushing desire for peace?
--------------------------------------------------------
Henry is more and more influenced by Walter's feelings, desires, dreams,
thoughts, his world... And one of these gray and uneventful days Henry found
himself inside Walter's horrible world - this was when he started seeing the
nightmares.
Five days ago Henry realized, that his life has stopped (at 10:06) - outside,
life goes on, but for him it has come to a grinding halt, he is completely cut
off from the world - neither the TV, nor the phone work. Even the windows
can't be open or broken. And nobody would know, that his world has suddenly
turned inside out, nobody will even know if Henry dies in here. What's even
more strange - the door was locked from the inside.
Could there be someone INSIDE Room 302 other than Henry?
He says, that "Five days ago...My whole world has suddenly turned insane...".
But was it really 5 days? No. It was two years ago when Henry locked himself
away in his apartment, closing life off.
The Room is just a sad metaphor of his "happy" life in the past two years and
only after seeing it from a Walter's point of view, Henry starts to realize,
what has happened two years ago.
All this time, he could've just opened the door and walked outside, to freedom
- yet he refused this freedom and stayed in the Room, immersing himself in
"un-existance". And only when he is faced with a risk of never seeing freedom
again, Henry understands his true nature - finds his will to "be". This is how
people are: we only know the value of something when we lose it (Yeah, it's
too late to give up smoking if you already have... well, you get it. Just like
James - when Mary was healthy, he cared little about her - spent time in bars
etc. But she dies - and NOW all his world is centered around her!).
Accordingly, Henry recognizes his will to live, he wants to be with people.
But it is too late... Soon, he won't even be able to look at others through
his window, completely drowning in Walter's dark and lifeless "Paradise".
Henry did not find himself in time, couldn't escape Walter's influence in
time. "But now it's over... It's over... " The door leading to freedom is
forever closed.
In SH4 we first see Henry at the beginning of this realization - he's just
starting to realize, that he cannot continue this meaningless existance in a
sealed, isolated world, that he wants to hear somebody's voice again (the
scene with the phone), that he wants to see a human face again (Henry watching
Eileen through the peephole), that he wants to get out of the Room and return
to the human world. This "freedom" becomes the main goal of the former hermit,
it is what drives him and to reach this goal, Henry will do anything.
------------------------------
j) Scene with the phone
Five days of nightmares and realizing his own loneliness... Henry wanted to
hear another's voice so much... and, surprisingly, he receives a phone call!
But, ironically, Henry can't ask the caller to call the police, to free him...
Instead, he just says "Hello...?", hoping that the call is not just another
dream and that he will really hear a voice again. And how strange it is to
hear someone ask Henry for help. Moreover, the cord is cut. Just like the
umbilical cord was cut, severing Walter's connection to his Mother, the phone
cord is cut, severing Henry's connection to the world. This should've prompted
Henry to doubt his sanity. Maybe he wanted to hear a voice so much, that his
mind just made up this phone call? The answer, as always, lies in the world of
Walter Sullivan.
k) Henry's "voyerism".
What makes Henry watch his neighbor? What makes him wait impatiently for the
moment to see her? Before the realization of his confinement, he could've just
walked out of the Room, approach her and watch her all he wanted, talk to her,
give her flowers, ask her out on a date... But it never occured to him before
(or maybe it did, but he couldn't get himself to leave the peaceful world of
the Room?). And only now he finaly sees what he is losing. He wants to see
another living person just one more time (maybe the last time in his life...
). This "voyerism" gives double the pleasure, because seeing a human being
creates a hope of escape from this prison (yeah, and watching a girl is nice
in itself %) )
But, this also has a much deeper subtext. Henry realizes that he does not
live, can not live - but he WANTS to, despite all that. Thus, he tries to
compensate for his own "lifelessness" by watching the life of another.
Watching Eileen, he feels that he is living her life alongside her and is more
worried about her life than his own (remember the "Eileen's death" ending -
the saddest of all). And so, Henry begins to live the lives of others,
replacing his empty life with theirs. Just like a crazy soap opera fan %). A
sad picture, but that is all he can do.
------------------------------------
Oh, how Henry wants to escape his prison... And on the sixth day he finds a
HOLE in his bathroom. Impossible, such a HOLE cannot exist, there are no such
things in the world - the world of humans... But it is his chance - there's a
HOLE in his cell, there is Hope for him, Hope to escape confinement.
Note that when he sees the HOLE, Henry can't believe his eyes - he is shocked:
"What the hell?!". Maybe that is when he begins to doubt his own sanity? But
right after that he asks: "S-Somebody in there?" - there is doubt and fear in
his voice, but alongside them there is... hope. Henry wants to see somebody in
the HOLE, but we only see darkness. Darkness and void of the human soul
(yes-yes, "From the Darkness and Void, bring forth Gloom").
The HOLE's existance is unexplainable, it is against all the rules, it
contradicts common sense! But the HOLE is Henry's last and only Hope. If he
doesn't give in to this Hope, he can only embrace Despair and die, like
Schreiber did. And Henry makes his choice: "I wonder if I can get out this
way...?". The desire to live makes him try his last chance. Henry delves into
the HOLE...
-----------------------
l) Scene with the HOLE.
This scene is one of the most symbolic moments of SH4 and has at least three
meanings - it will be explained fully in the analysis of Silent Hill 4. For
now, let us look at it from Henry's side.
Armed only with his Hope [the bottle of wine and steel pipe don't count just
because I said so! - translator's note], Henry crawls into the HOLE - does he
believe that it leads somewhere? Wants to believe, yes, but his rationality
opposes it.
So, what does he see there? A weak light at the end of the tunnel - the light
of Hope. At first it is very weak, but as Henry gets closer to it, it gets
stronger and stronger. It's not only a representation of some sort of goal,
but also of Henry's Hope. Where will this blind Hope lead him?
-------------------------
Where does this desire to escape the Room lead Henry Townshend? To the outside
world, the scare outside world... of Walter Sullivan. From one cell right into
another - a world of an endless dream, an endless delusion, filled with the
twisted and disfigured spirits of Walter's victims and manifestations of his
fears. Maybe Henry should've take his advice and stayed in the Room? But no,
Henry can't stand it anymore. Escpecially towards the ending. He is willing to
walk through Walter's fears, to fight his desire for "un-existance" with his
desire for life, for freedom, for all that Henry had and lost.
-------------------------
m) Henry and the victims
At last Henry meets other people. People, drawn into the world of Walter
Sullivan. Can he even be sure that these are real people? It may be just his
dream... "It's just...a dream, right...?". What can a man, who has lost the
very ground under his feet, be sure of?
Nevertheless, Henry finally finds a person. Finds something, which he refused
himself for the past two years and which is what he want so much now. Notice
how through the course of the game Townshend displays disturbing, almost
inhuman altruism: he always tries to help the victims, tries to save them,
values their lives higher than his own... all for nothing. His Hope is
crumbling before his eyes - as soon as he finds love, it is destroyed. Little
by little, Hope gives place for despair and helplessness...
Note that the "story" of each world is built upon Walter's relationship with
the victim. Henry is just an observer. No matter how hard he tries, no matter
how much blood he spill, he can't change anything. He is unneeded, just as
Walter was in our world...
n) Self-preservation instinct.
Remember that episode of SH2 when James race with Maria towards the elevator
to save ONLY HIS OWN @$$? Well, you won't see anything like that in SH4.
It seems that Henry's self-preservation instinct has been replaced with
hyper-altruism (he even GRABS an electric chair, trying to save Braintree!).
What is it? A typical Hollywood-style SuperHero? Or is there something more
deep hidden in his character?
Let's look at his first encounter with the dogs. Henry is disturbed, he can't
believe his eyes, but we don't see any fear on his face. We never EVER see him
fear for his own life - "I wonder if Eileen is Okay" , "Eileen... Are you
still alive...? Eileen... ". He doesn't scream "Ahhh! Monsters! Help!". What
could that mean? Could that mean that he understands, that no one can help him
here? Probably not. Or does he think "It's okay...it's just a dream..." and
see the dogs as just illusions? Nope. Later he tell Eileen "if you get killed
here... Then you die in the real world too...". Yet, he protects her, risking
his own life. Yeah, that just it. What does Henry risk protecting the victims?
His own life. What life? The one he led for the last two years? Was it life at
all? A difficult question. But now, Henry would rather die, that continue this
confined existance.
p) Lost Memories
What did Henry's "life" in the past 2 years consist of? Mostly of memories
about the days spent in Silent Hill. He stayed in the past, going deeper and
deeper into the "un-existance". His interest in photography only puts emphasis
on how much he values his past. But look at how his comments change through
the course of the game. Henry's memories are being replaced by Joseph's (and
Walter's too) - Henry is losing what he values most and now has no past and no
future... The new owner of Room 302 is doomed to become a "blank paper" for
Walter's "wisdom" and dissolve in Sullivan's subconscious world.
q) Henry's influence on Walter's world.
Note how each victim (and other visitors of Walter's world) bring some feeling
and\or memory of theirs into Walter's world (Schreiber's diaries, Cynthia's
make-up and the other "items left behind", Frank Sunderland's diary, Mike's
diary etc.). But what is Henry's "contribution"? Some fans think that it is
the Toluca Lake, insisting that it is the representation of Henry's memories.
So, what did Henry bring into Walter's world? Or was he so "blank", that there
was no image or memory to manifest? Wrong. Room 302 is one big memory of
Henry's. Remember the 21 Sacraments ending - the Room is not an image from
Walter's or Joseph's mind. It is Henry's memory of his last living place,
still existing in Walter's world.
So, in the context of the "21 Sacraments" ending, the memory of the Room was
the strongest in Henry's mind, because in there he spent 2 "happy" years of
"un-existance".
r) Henry as the 21st victim.
As we know, the victims are associated with Tarot cards. The 21st card is "The
World", sometimes also known as "The Crown of Mages". It is a "positive" card,
that symbolises Wisdom, Love, prevailing over one's weakness etc. Accordingly,
Townshend is full of this Wisdom\Love\Altruism stuff - so full that it just
gets over the edge. That's why he became the 21st. Also, all the way we see
him fighting his main weakness - his attachment to the Room. Also, the meaning
of victim 21121 is reflected in the Halo of the Sun ( see Part 2-16).
s) Henry as the Receiver of Wisdom.
It is important to note, that in Walter Sullivan's mind the Receiver of Wisdom
was strongly associated with the next owner of the apartment (his "Mother")
after the Giver of Wisdom ("Whoever lives here after me... You'll be the 21st,
the last of the sacrifices..." - Joseph Schreiber). This choice stems from the
strange link between the Mother and the apartment in Walter's world. If try to
compare victims 15121 and 21121, we see that "Wisdom" was associated with
"Mother", which is in turn associated with "Room" in Walter's sick mind. Thus,
the next resident of Room 302 is the "Receiver of apartment"="Receiver of
Wisdom" and brings this "wisdom" into Walter's world in the form of his
memories about the apartment. The memories merge with Walter's world - voila,
Wally is free to reunite with his mom! %)
But, there are other hidden meanings to this.
Firstly, Schreiber, the Giver of Wisdom, researches Sullivan's personality and
"gives" this "wisdom" to Henry, the Receiver of Wisdom, in the form of his
letters (though Walter never expected him to do that).
Secondly, Schreiber's theme was Despair - so, the wisdom he is supposed to
give could be this very Despair? And Henry was supposed to receive Despair
through reading Joseph's diary and seeing all his hopes fall before his eyes.
Last but not least, something Walter never predicted and could not predict
anyways. Only by seeing Walter's world, Henry looks at his life from a
different angle - from Walter's angle. Henry's discovery of his real "self" is
triggered by Walter's influence ("Into the Depths of Self Discovery"). Only
when faced with losing freedom forever, he realizes how terrible it would be
to be left without others' attention and how dear he holds the world he risks
to lose now. Only in Walter's world he understands this. But isn't it too
late? Can this realization change his dark fate?
The answer to this question is the ending you get.
t) Comparative analysis of Walter and Henry
I think everyone has noticed, that Walter and Henry are similar in several
ways - it's even reflected in their appearance (Henry and young Walter). Let's
make a comparative analysis:
---Both are impressionable and artistic.
---Walter used to be an explorer - he went out of the orphanage to see the
outside world even though he knew he would get beaten, but under the cult's
influence he started to close off from the world. Finally, he created a prison
for himself.
---Henry was also a very open person, loved to travel. But when he gets under
the influence of Walter's world, he began to change and also closed off.
---As a result, both Walter and Henry arrive at the idea of "peace in the
Room". This similarity is what allows Henry to enter Walter's world so easily.
---Both are lonely. Both can't live in our world without support... Walter
tries to fight off this loneliness by creating an imaginary Mother. Henry
tries to convince himself of his own happiness.
---Just like Walter was taken away from his Mother ("But one day the cord was
cut , the mother went to sleep. The baby was left all alone."), Henry is taken
away from the world completely ("The cord's cut... ").
---Walter is struggling to help his Mother. Henry is struggling to help the
victims.
---Walter was unneeded in the real world. Henry is unneeded in Walter's world.
This could go on and on, but I think now it's visible, that Henry and Walter
are two sides of one coin. The coin is loneliness. Walter had nobody from the
start, while Henry was a little more lucky - his life with his parents (see
photo of little Henry with his parents) was filled with happiness, he enjoyed
life, wanted to see everything (the globe). But when he left his nest and
moved into SAHapts, he was left without support and started to distance
himself from the world.
-----------------------------------
If Sullivan really was an "inhuman killing machine", as Schreiber wants Henry
to believe, Henry wouldn't have a chance (a book in Silent Hill 1 states that
negative emotions are always stronger than positive ones). But there is doubt
in Walter. He can't make the final decision to sacrifice Eileen Galvin ("The
boy protected me from the man with the coat"). This is similar to SH1, where
Alessa could not decide wether she wants Samael to be born - wants the people
she so hates to die... we all know where she ended up. It is Walter's doubt
that gave Henry a chance to save Eileen - he gains Hope. This is really the
LAST Hope. And so, Henry Townshends sets out to brave the dangers of the
Hospital World. "Eileen... Are you still alive...?"
-----------------------
u) Henry and Eileen
Eileen has been living next door from Henry for two years, but he never showed
any interest in her (or maybe he was interested in her, but could not show it,
enclosed in his shell of un-existance). Only when Henry risks to lose her
forever does he realize how dear she is to him.
The nightmare brought the two people together: Eileen knows, that she cannot
escape Walter's world alone ("You're the only chance I've got... I'll stick
with you. ") and Henry feels, that even if he can make it out alive, he won't
be able to live without her - Eileen has become his closest person (Walter's
influence again?), so he makes all the efforts to keep her from being harmed.
Rephrasing James from SH4, "Without Eileen, I just can’t go on." (or, straight
from the game texts - "I can't just leave Eileen."). So there you have it.
Eileen can't survive without Henry, Henry can't live without Eileen (remember
the "Death of Eileen" ending).
Well, now that Henry has Eileen, he gains Hope and his life now has some
meaning - something to defend against Walter's desire of peace with. Although,
he still has no Faith that Sullivan can be defeated.
v) The Ultimate Truth.
Through the second half of the game, Henry and Eileen make their way into the
depths of Walter's subconscious world, hoping to find the Ultimate Truth, that
will allow them to defeat him and end the nightmare. But what do they find?
What is this Ultimate Truth? Just another lie... Schreiber insists, that
Sullivan is just a mindless murderer ("he's become nothing more than an
inhuman killing machine..."), that ther's nothing human left in him (even
though we know that he has his doubts). So, why does Henry need this lie?
Because he needs Faith and Hope.
Schreiber tells him, that it is not too late to save himself ("Even now...it
may not be...too late..."), and tells Henry that he MUST kill Walter without
any doubts or regrets ("You must kill...him... You must kill him...
Kill...... Kill... Kill...... Kill......").
Now everything should make sense. After realizing his nature, Henry wants to
live, after meeting Eileen, his life gains a meaning and now he believes that
he can get out alive. It may have been a lie, just another illusion, but as
long as Henry believes in this illusion, he holds the pickaxe of Hope firmly
in his hands.
-----------------------------
In the end, his quest for freedom brings Henry to the same "Womb" as Walter.
The grand finale... We see the clash of two hopeless altruists - the adult
Walter, struggling to complete the 21 Sacraments for his Mother and his
childhood dream (he cares for Wally), and Henry, willing to sacrifice his own
life only to save Eileen, because without her his life will remain the gray,
lonely nightmare it was before.
Wish to live and wish to die, Eros and Thanatos confront each on the
battleground of the endless cycle of Birth and Death.
Who will win?
Will Walter win and sacrifice the lives of Henry and Eileen only to go into an
endless sleep ("Mom...... I'm home.. I'm gonna stay with you, forever...")?
Or will Henry prevail? But what awaits him if he loses Eileen? Was it all in
vain ("Eileen...")?
And even if Henry manages to save her, are they strong enough to begin a new
life and forget the nightmare? Will they find their happiness together, or are
they to continue their lonely lives in SAHapts, doomed to return to the dark
world?
-----------------------------------------
w) Ideological analysis of Henry Townshend.
Henry's image is not that of a hero or a maniac. Just an ordinary middle-aged
man. A lonely person, who closed himself from the world in his Room. His
neighbor is another lonely person - Eileen Galvin - whom he has no interest
in. Another neighbor of his is Mike - yet another lonely person, drowning in
his unrequited love for Rachel. Room 105 is the room of Frank Sunderland, who
has lost his son and wanted to find a friend in Townshend. Room 205 holds a
gamer, who, like Henry, never leaves his apartment. 102 - a woman, who loved
cats so much, that she never found a human being to love. And numerous other
instances of the same thing. This is reality - millions of lonely people,
languishing in their own cages ("coin lockers") and living their only life in
"happy" loneliness, dying little by little every day of this existance. Deep
down they want to find somebody to love, but this wish is always thrown back
by the walls of other people's hearts. People, forever locked in their
"cages", living in the gray world of a Room, afraid to open the door to the
world, believeing that nobody needs them and nobody can know their heart. Dead
ends, walls everywhere - no exit, no escape. There have to be alternatives -
but there are none. Looks like some sort of an existencionalist drama. A
drama, in which the sole actors are ordinary people, the residents of South
Ashfield Heights, Henry Townshend included.
Can this circle be broken? Can the walls be broken and freedom achieved?
Maybe, maybe... As we see from Henry's example, when one locks himself away,
the first step to freedom is realization of one's nature. But this cannot be
done alone - someone has to give them a push. For Henry this "push" was the
hell he walked through, the world of Walter Sullivan, a person, whose
personality is so similar to Henry's. Only after seeing his world, Henry
starts to see the futility of closed existance and makes his first steps on
what would be a long way to opening the door and leaving the Room of Despair
and Loneliness.
But even this realization will not have any results, if the others are as
closed, as you once were. You need to be understood by others. But, again,
they need to be set on this path before they take it.
Maybe the release of Silent Hill 4: The Room will be that push? Fans of SH
will follow Henry in realizing their true nature, recognizing their true
wishes and loves and use the Wisdom of Walter's failure to look at their own
life from a different angle. Maybe this game (as a trip to another world) will
turn somebody's life around and change them for the better? Maybe someone will
achieve true Wisdom with the help of this game? It depends on you - the push
has been delivered, now it's up to you to walk the path...
x)
Quote: "My whole world has suddenly turned insane..."
Metaphor: "Receiver of Wisdom"
Symbol: The Room
Music: Melancholy Requiem, Into the Depths of Self Discovery, Your Rain.
Name: The meaning of Henry's last name can be found in one of Eileen's lines:
"Hen...ry... Towns...hend...". Notice how she puts emphasis on separating
"Towns" and "Hend". Almost sounds like "Town's hand", doesn't it? Henry -
Town's Hand. Sounds funny and gives interesting associations, but I doubt
there's some real meaning here. The role of "Town's Hand" is more fitting for
Walter. But he and Henry ARE alike, so...
In reality, Henry Townshend is a musician and a singer - talk about artistic
persons.
4-3 Eileen Galvin
Age: Around 20
Occupation: Sexy nurse? %)
Before she moved into SAHapts, Eileen used to live with her (quite wealthy)
parents in North Ashfield ("I used to live in North Ashfield..."). She was
happy just feeling that she's not alone in the world ("She looked so happy
holding her mother's hand..."). But now it's all different - she left her
"nest", finished college ("I studied archaeology back in college") and rented
an apartment in South Ashfield. She keeps her childhood memories close to her
heart (doll key), but we don't see her communicating with her family (which is
strange - could they be dead?). Moreover, she doesn't even have a boyfriend
(well, there's Townshend, but only if you get the "Escape" ending), so she's
expecting the upcoming party as a good chance to "catch" somebody to liven up
her gray day-to-day life. This is an important point - it sets Eileen apart
from Henry, who, while also lonely, does not look for anyone and prefers to
lock himself in his apartment.
Eileen sees a simple party as some big event that will turn her life in
completely new direction (which makes you think - maybe it's her first
party?). Well, the evening does hold many surprises for her, but wether her
expectations will be fulfilled is up to the player. We all know what kind of
party she's going to get to.
------------------------------------------
a) Around 20 years earlier.
Around 20 years ago young Eileen was coming home with her mother to celebrate
her father's birthday. In the subway they met a homeless young man - Walter
Sullivan. He was out in the cold, lying in his tattered sleeping bag in the
South Ashfield subway station... He had no home, no parents to come to, nobody
to care for him (except from an imaginary Mother, who didn't even exist).
Eileen had it all. But what's more important is that she is a compassionate
person - she decided to help Walter and gave him her doll, a tiny piece of her
happiness. But even that was enough for Walter, who never had any joy in his
life. Even after all this time, he remembers it and it is what warmed his
heart all that time... "I got this from Miss Galvin a long, long time ago...
She was younger than me back then... She looked so happy holding her mother's
hand..."
b) Compassion
We all know that children are generally much more compassionate than adults.
With time, they become too busy with their own troubles and have less and less
time to care about others' problems. People change, it's a known fact. But did
Eileen change in these 20 years? Did the child in her heart, that wanted to
make Walter happy, disappear completely?
Let's look at the game facts:
---Eileen is the first to notice that there's something wrong with Henry. Even
though "They can't hear me...". Maybe Eileen was somehow able to feel
Townshend's pain and desperation?
---She cares about little Wally, even though the "man in coat" is ready to
kill her. "Hey kid... Thanks... Did you find your mommy...? This
place...it's dangerous... You need... Hurry and get out of here..."
---Eileen wants to help Walter when she learns about his terrible fate: "It's
terrible... That poor little boy... His parents just threw him away right
after he was born... Poor thing... He really thinks that Room 302 is his
mother... I've gotta...I've gotta help him..."
So we see that even after all these years, Eileen is still a "good girl", who
feels the pain of others and can't watch them suffer. Although, from the
example of Lisa Garland we know, that this kind of personality won't get one
anywhere good...
c) Robbie the Rabbit in Eileen's bedroom.
Through the peephole we can see a pink rabbit from Lakeside Amusement Park.
This toy could mean, that:
1) Eileen used to live in Silent Hill before Ashfield, or visited Silent Hill
with her parents, and now has sweet memories of that time.
2) Seeing as how she gave Walter a doll, he might have given her something in
return later. And what would a boy from Silent Hill give as a gift? Right, a
plush Robbie the Rabbit. This is further supported by the fact, that the
rabbit points at Henry, as if saying: "You're Next!".
d) Eileen and Walter.
Eileen was the only person that Walter felt was close to him... The memory of
her is his only happy memory, the only memory that connects him to reality.
Because of it he can't fully believe, that people can only bring suffering.
It's what prevented him from fully believing in the Room. "But now it's
over...". Now it's time to break all the chains and sacrifice all for the sake
of his Mother:
Denounce the truth ("You must defeat the One Truth. Do so and this door will
open"), to believe in the imaginary Mother-Room...
Sacrifice the people, who brought him only pain and suffering ("Offer the
Blood of the Ten Sinners")...
The life, spent in darkness and fear ("Be then released from the bonds of the
flesh")...
And offer one final sacrifice - Eileen Galvin ("separate from the flesh too,
she is who is the Mother Reborn").
Of course, the first three sacrifices are easy for Walter to perform, but
Eileen is not. But he must do it - and the "man in coat" puts aside his only
happy memory ("Here, I'll give it to you... ") and gets ready to complete the
"Mother Reborn". But the seed of doubt is still withing him - a part of his
consciousness cannot allow the death of a dear person ("The boy protected me
from the man with the coat...").
-----------------------------------------
So, after sacrificing Richard Braintree, Walter's psychic energy increases and
Eileen is drawn into his world ("I can see Eileen Galvin from here... I'm
pretty sure that's Room 303. What's she doing in this world?"), where she is
attacked by the "man in coat". But the 20121 sacrifice goes wrong due to
Walter's inner conflicts and Eileen is left alive. She is taken to St.Jerome's
hospital. Although, it's only her physical body that is taken there - her mind
is still trapped in Walter's world. This time, the Hospital World.
It is there that Henry finds her.
---------------------------------------------------
e) Eileen and Henry
Eileen feels helpless and vulnerable in Walter's world ("I just feel so
scared..."), she does not understand where she is ("This place...what is it
anyway?") and how to return home ("What am I gonna do?"). She can't survive
alone. And her last Hope is Henry Townshend, the Receiver of Wisdom, who knows
how to defeat Walter ("I might know a way to save you...").
The nightmare brought the two people together: Eileen knows, that she cannot
escape Walter's world alone ("You're the only chance I've got... I'll stick
with you. ") and Henry feels, that even if he can make it out alive, he won't
be able to live without her - Eileen has become his closest person (Walter's
influence again?), so he makes all the efforts to keep her from being harmed.
Rephrasing James from SH4, "Without Eileen, I just can’t go on." (or, straight
from the game texts - "I can't just leave Eileen."). So there you have it.
Eileen can't survive without Henry, Henry can't live without Eileen (remember
the "Death of Eileen" ending).
----------------------------------------------
Together, they go on a search of the Ultimate Truth and Hope, hidden deep down
in Walter's subconscious. With time, Eileen seems to change...
----------------------------------
f) Eileen's metamorphoses.
Basically, Eileen undergoes the similar process Heather and Maria did.
The more damage she receives, the more her true identity is weakened and she
is more and more influenced by Walter. Soon, her memories are replaced with
Walter's (Obviously, the phrase "I used this subway all the time when I was
younger..." is about HIS past, not hers. By the way, a similar, but weaker,
effect we can see on Henry). Over time she becomes "posessed" by Walter ("I'm
cold... Help me..." , "Where's mommy??" , "Mommy... Wake up... Let me in.." ,
"And God said, thou must return to the wellspring of sin..."). This is also
noticeable in her appearance - her eyes turn red, which sends us way back to
SH1, in which it was established, that red is the color of memory, rebirth
and, uh... blood - three things, that are always connected in the series. It's
ironic, how a girl, who can feel the pain of others starts to feel all of
Walter's fears and sufferings ("Oh, my head hurts... Th-That boy...he's coming
in... His pain...I feel it... ") - somewhat reminiscent of Lisa.
g) Eileen as the 20th victim
As we know, the victims were chosen according to Tarot cards. The 20th card is
"Judgement", sometimes also known as "Rebirth". A group of people stand in awe
around an open grave, a man is looking at an angel, floating in the air with
horn. Next to the man, a woman is kneeling. People, awakened by the call of
the Angel's horn are walking out of the grave to a new life.
This is why Walter's memories and feelings are "reborn" through Eileen in
Walter's world and that is why the 20th sacrifice is called "Mother Reborn".
The meaning of 20121 is also reflected in the Halo of the Sun (see Part 2-16)
-------------------------------------
The further course of events is determined by your actions in the course of
the game and the "degree" of Eileen's "posession":
1) She begins to feel the pain and despair of Wally and decides to help him
("It's Walter... He's crying... Even finishing the 21 Sacraments... It won't
help that boy...") - after obtaining the Ultimate Truth, Hope and the
umbilical cord, she goes to the Womb to end Walter's unending nightmare
forever ("I'm going back, Henry...To the room where he is... We're the only
ones... The only ones that can stop him..."). In this case she won't be
walking so fast in the final battle.
2) Eileen becomes fully posessed by Walter's feelings ("Daddy...? Mommy...?
Why did you leave me? I'm scared... I'm so scared... It's dark, and I'm so
scared...") and believes in the awakening of the Room ("Mommy... Mommy......?
Are you asleep...? Mommy... I'll wake you up... I will..."). Obsessed with
young Walter's wish, she goes to the Womb to sacrifice herself for the Room.
In this case she'll be walking towards the "killing machine" faster, because
Walter's influence on her is much stronger.
-----------------------
h) The Final Battle
In the end, Eileen's compassion brings her to the same "Womb" as Walter
Sullivan, where his will takes her over and step by step she approaches her
death and the moment of the Mother's awakening. Deep down, she is in conflict
with herself. Her will to live stands against her wish to help Walter fulfill
his dream, supported by her kind nature and his influence (the progress of
this conflict determines her moving speed). Outside we see the clash of two
hopeless altruists - the adult Walter, struggling to complete the 21
Sacraments for his Mother and his childhood dream (he cares for Wally), and
Henry, willing to sacrifice his own life only to save Eileen, because without
her his life will remain the gray, lonely nightmare it was before.
i) Victims List info
Victim 20/21
Name: Eileen Galvin
Occupation: Unknown
Gender\features: White female
Height\weight: 170 cm, 68 kg
Hobbies: Unknown
Other: Gave Walter a doll around 20 years ago
Motive: "Mother Reborn"
Method: Beaten to death\unsuccessful
Location: Room 303 of South Ashfield Heights apartment building
Item left behind: Bag
j)
Quote: "It's terrible... That poor little boy... I've gotta...I've gotta help
him... "
Metaphor: "Mother Reborn"
Symbol: Doll
Music: "Your Rain", "Didn't know, didn't know"
Name: Eileen is a distinctively feminine name, emphasizing her personality.
And, personally, the name Galvin reminds me of Garland - there is similarity
between the two.
k) Bonus: Sexy nurse
After you finish SH4 for the first time, you'll have a chance to see Eileen in
a costume of a... sexy nurse. In this article, I'll try to seriously [! -
translator's note] analyze it. When they are drawn into Walter's world, the
victims begin to "play by Walter's rules" and even their appearance may change
according to that (yes, Walter believed that after death they would become
ghosts and voila - there we have geniune, grade-Am floating, moaning ghosts).
But why would Eileen appear as a nurse? For some reason in Walter's sick mind
she was associated with a sexy nurse. let's try to find this reason.
1) It is a known fact, that nurses have always been objects of sexual desire
of men and many erotic classics involve nurses [yeah, he watched them all!
This guy is THAT perverted - Translator's note]. If take into account Freud's
theories (and remember SH2 by the way) we may even assume, that such an
appearance is a result of Walter's fantasies involving Eileen. Mhhmmm, maybe
his feelings towards her weren't really "pure and uncorrupted"? %)
2) The main idea of Eileen's image is compassion - isn't that a characteristic
of nurses? If we compare SH1 and SH4, Eileen's counterpart would be Lisa, who
was a nurse. Maybe in Walter's mind Eileen's image was that of a kind-hearted
nurse? And the weird dress is, again, a result of his sexual unsatisfaction.
3) St.Jerome's hospital is close to SAHapts and Eileen's personality is
fitting for a nurse. If we put two and two together, the connection become
obvious.
4) Eileen is the "Mother Reborn" - she plays an extremely important role in
the Mother's awakening. Awakening=reanimation?
5) And, finally, the most probable version. It's the doing of the Great Dog -
the queen of Silent Hill fan-service! Or could it be Samael? Or did they
cooperate?
4-4. Frank Sunderland. The way of Frank (+a short history of SAHapts)
Age: around 60
Occupation: SAHapts superintendant.
Frank Sunderland has been the superintendant of SAHapts ever since it was
built and has seen his share of strange things in his life, but one thing he
will never forget... There was no place for mysticism, just ugly reality.
34 years ago Frank found an abandoned newborn baby in Room 302. Even though he
did all he could for the baby (found him, called an ambulance - he practically
saved the baby's life) this made a terrible impression on him, made worse by
the fact, that he had a young son of his own. For 34 years Frank could not
forget this ("Some things we forget and some things we can never
forget......") and for 34 years he has kept the umbilical cord in his room 105
as a sad reminder of the baby's life gone wrong from birth. What happened to
him? Did he find his parents? Is he happy? These questions assaulted the
superintendant's mind. Sunderland cares about other people, and he is very
self-critical and tends to rethink his actions (it runs in the blood, doesn't
it? Just look at James!), and, just as Eileen Galvin is, he is compassionate.
10 years ago another strange event took place in SAHapts: Frank saw a man in a
long coat climb up the stairs. He was carrying a heavy tool (Great Knife), a
goblet and a pack, that was dripping blood (what he really saw was the
subconscious image of self in Walter's world, just before he performed the
Holy Assumption). And Richard Braintree later reported seeing someone in Room
302 (it was the "White Noiz" - a result of Walter's psychic energy
concentrated in the Room). Well, "There are a...lot of strange things in this
world..."
But that wasn't the last thing. Around 7 years ago Frank's son (James) and
daughter-in-law (Mary) disappeared in Silent Hill (If you still don't
understand who are James nad Mary -- PLAY THE F***ING SH2 , DAMMIT!!! [Don't
mind him, he just hasn't been fed - Translator's note]). Now Frank is left
alone.
After all these strange events Joseph Schreiber moved into Room 302 and soon
disappeared without a trace (before that, strange sounds could be heard from
the Room) - when the door finally could be opened, no body could be found.
Truly, "There are a...lot of strange things in this world...". Maybe that was
the moment Sunderland started to suspect there was something wrong with this
apartment and the disappearance is somehow connected to it directly ("There's,
uh, somethin' wrong with this whole apartment...")?
In any case, six months later, a new resident moved into the Room... Henry
Townshend.
After losing his son, Sunderland longed for friendship and wanted to make a
friend in the new resident. When he learns about Henry's interest in
photography, he immediately gave him a photo. But Sunderland's naive attempt
shattered on the wall of Henry's heart.
Today, Sunderland had a strange dream (he saw Walter's world). In it, the man
in coat was crying, he was looking for his mother. And today Frank learns that
Room 302's door won't open again, and there are strange sounds coming from
inside - just as before. Today, Frank is going into Walter's world.
--------------------------------
Sunderland's Diary.
In the depths of Walter's world we can find Frank Sunderland's diary, written
ten years after Sullivan's death. Of course, a question arises: how could this
dieary get into Walter's world? As we know, the memos are either bits of
thoughts of the world's creator, or the thoughts of people, drawn into this
world (Schreiber's diary). So, that means Frank is also in this world? The
answer lies in the ending.
--------------------------
21 Sacraments: "Once again, we've got late breaking news...Five unnamed police
officers have been found dead, for reasons unknown, in the South Ashfield
Heights apartments, along with its superintendent, Mr. Frank Sunderland. All
other residents of South Ashfield Heights have been rushed to St. Jerome's
Hospital, many complaining of severe chest pains.These strange incidents are
similar to the ones which occurred in Silent Hill some years ago. More news to
follow."
The 21 Sacraments ending implies, that the world gained so much influence,
that Frank is drawn into it and his physical body dies, dooming him to become
a victim and "haunt this realm as a spirit". Just like that time in Silent
Hill a few years back...
There are a...lot of strange things in this world...
4-5. Joseph Schreiber. The way of Joseph.
Age: around 40
Occupation: Journalist
Joseph Schreiber has always believed that it is his duty to show the "Ultimate
Truth" and set people on the "Ture path" (quite similar to the cult's beliefs,
don't you think?). That is why he became a journalist. But can he really tell
truth from lies? Joseph believed he could. Around 10 years ago he decided to
uncover the dark deeds of Silent Hill's cult and published an article, telling
about the true purpose of the Wish House and about the dark side of the cult
in the Concord magazine. But, as we know from SH3, Claudia and Vincent could
care less about this article. The Cult disappeared later due to other reasons
(play SH3 and read Dying Inside to see what REALLY happened to the cult and
the town).
After the "strange incidents which occurred in Silent Hill some years ago" (as
we know from DI, Silent Hill is pretty much abandoned - drawn completely into
Alessa's world), Joseph moves to Ashfield and, ironically, rents a room in
SAHapts - Room 302. His life's somewhat old-fashioned - he listens to old
records, types on an old typewriter. Notice that there is no TV in his
apartment. And he's a JOURNALIST - a person, who's supposed to be in touch
with everything that happens in the world. It seems as if time has stopped for
him and he lived in the Room, closed off from the rest of the world.
But 7 years ago he learned something, that turned his life around. A murder
victim with the numbers 12121 on their chest has been found, marking the
second killing spree of Walter Sullivan. According to his own diary, Joseph
felt afraid ("Right away I had this terrible feeling and couldn't stop
shaking"), but he became greatly interested in the story of the maniac ("The
police think it's a copycat crime and are calling it the Sullivan Case Round
Two. But something about it bothered me..."), probably in no small part due to
the influence of Walter's memories.
With time he becomes more and more interested in the Sullivan case, an
interest slowly turning into a mania. He digs deeper and deeper, finds out
more and more info about Walter (guess what drives him ;) ) and starts his own
investigation of the recent murders.
------------------------------
a) Joseph's diary
April 4th - feeling, that his life is in danger, he starts a diary, in which
he writes down all he has found on Walter (basically, it is the "Wisdom" he's
supposed to give).
April 8th - Joseph believes, that the murderer is not COPYING Walter, but, in
fact, IS Walter ("I'm investigating two people. Or maybe I should say just
one.") and that the Sullivan case is connected to Silent Hill and the dead
Cult ("Although the cult itself is gone, I'm sure the spirit of it is still
alive. There are too many strange things happening in that town."). He wants
to get this "Ultimate Truth" no matter what.
April 10th (this is a secret memo, which can only be found on Silent Hill 4's
official site) - using his old connections, Joseph enters the Wish House and
finds the Crimson Tome.
Since then, no one has seen Joseph. At first he was thought to have gone
insane and locked himself in the Room (strange sounds) - but, after the door
was finally opened, nothing was found. From this we can say that Joseph never
returned from Silent Hill. It is unknown what fate exactly befell him in the
foggy town, but we know, that his consciousness existed in Walter's
subconscious world - he even continued writing his diary.
May - Schreiber still thinks he's in the apartment. He starts having
headaches, but continues his search for the "Ultimate Truth".
June - Schreiber thinks, that he goes to Silent Hill. Obviously, it's not the
real Silent Hill cemetary he comes to, but the one in the Forest World ("I'm
still in shock...There was no body in the grave... And on top of that, written
on the coffin were the numbers "11/21"...").
July - Schreiber is starting to realize that he's actually inside Walter's
world ("You've seen that world as well... That horrible nightmare."). He finds
Holy Medallions, Swords of Obedience etc. Soon it will come to him, that he is
just another ghost, trapped inside Walter's world.
August - Room 302 is locked. Schreiber tries to break throught the wall, but
to no avail - "The faint hope I had is slowly changing to despair.". Joseph is
slowly drowning in despair... Soon, the "victim" of Jimmy Stone will find his
way inside. But it doesn't matter... The real Joseph Schreiber is not in the
apartment (his body will never be found). Only bits of his consciousness still
flicker in the Room, reliving the moment of their "death".
6 months later Henry Townshend moves into Room 302.
Two years later Henry Townshend (under the influence of Joseph's memories,
concentrated in the Room) starts having a recurring nightmare - the last
moments of Joseph's conscious existance. Also, he starts to find pieces of the
journalist's memories and "receives" his "Wisdom" (the red diaries). Soon,
Henry will also be drawn into Walter's world.
b) The Ultimate Truth
Even after death, Joseph is still trying to show the "Ultimate Truth". Before,
he used logic and facts to do this. Now he relies completely on the Crimson
Tome ("Follow the...Crimson Tome... Stop him..."). As a prophet, he sets Henry
on the "True Path". It may have been a lie, just another illusion, but as long
as Henry believes in this illusion, he holds the pickaxe of Hope firmly in his
hands.
c) Ideological analysis of Joseph Schreiber.
Basically, Schreiber is just your typical ghost, who can't realize his own
death and continues to live in the Room - just as the occult magazine in SH3
said: "The souls of those who died suddenly by suicide or accident don't
realize they're dead. Sometimes they stay put and haunt that particular place.
These spirits have lost their human senses and memories and can only keep
replaying the pain and sadness of the moment they died."
Joseph Schreiber spent all his life uncovering the "Ultimate Truth". But Truth
often betrays people - it can be cruel and lead to Despair. In turn, sweet
Lies can give one Hope (remember James). Thus, this "Ultimate Truth" threw
Joseph into Despair (the truth was that he was just a victim - a pawn in
Walter's world). Now he exists not to find the Truth, but to give Hope, even
if it is through Lies ("Even now...it may not be...too late... Follow
the...Crimson Tome... Stop him...").
We see that the main theme of Jospeh is the connection between Truth and
Despair, Lies and Hope. Along with Wisdom, Schreiber brings Despair to
Walter's world, becoming a par t of it...
d) The Devil
As we know, all the victims correspond to Tarot Cards. The #15 card is The
Devil, also known as The Fatum and The Dark Side. It symbolizes the decay and
death of the spirit in a person. It can also mean, that the ideals the person
in question is pursiong are false and it's better to leave them now, before
they drag them in. Accordingly - Joseph's loss of hope, his Despair=death of
the spirit. His obsession with Walter's history brought him into the
nightmarish world.
Now let's take a look at the picture on the card. In the center we see the
"Devil". A man and a woman are standing in front of him. Remind you of
something? Namely, the meeting with Schreiber and the receiveing of the
Ultimate Truth. There you have it - Joseph Schreiber, whose Hope has died (see
the meaning of the #15 Tarot card), he is urging Henry and Eileen to KILL
Walter (killing is a mortal sin, as you know) and to follow occult
scriptures...
The man and the woman are Henry and Eileen... In the context of SH4, Schreiber
is the Giver of Wisdom. Now, how did Adam and Eve "receive wisdom"? Through
the serpent's (read - the DEVIL's) temptation.
e) Victims List info
Victim 15/21
Name: Joseph Schreiber (a.k.a. J)
Occupation: Journalist
Gender/features: Middle-aged white male.
Height/weight: 185 cm, 87 kg
Hobbies: reading, fishing (it's said that fishing brings peace to the soul.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? ;) )
Other: An active and professional journalist
Motive: Despair
Method: Unknown (no body found)
Location: Unknown
Item left behind: Red Diary
f)
Quote: The faint hope I had is slowly changing to despair...
Metaphor: Despair
Symbol: Red Diary
Name: "Schreiber" means "writer" in German. Not surprising, that a journalist
was given such a name. Also, Joseph Schreiber is a fairly well-known
professor, specializing in pediatry. Ironic, that a man with such a name would
die in a world of childhood fears.
4-6. Cynthia Velasquez.
Age: 29
------------------------
a) Victims List info:
Victim 16/21
Name: Cynthia Velasquez
Occupation: Unknown (yeah, RIGHT!)
Gender/features: White female (note: "white female" must be an official info's
typo, because Cynthia actually is a Hispanic-American female - credit
goes to Ron Fox)
Height/weight: 172 cm 86 kg
Hobbies: Unknown
Other: Has strange dreams
Motive: Temptation
Method: multiple wounds, inflicted with a knife-like weapons
Location: South Ashfield Street station
Item left behind: Make up
----------------------------------------------------
26 years ago Walter saw a little girl in the subway and caught her name -
Cynthia. Her parents called her Cynthia. It would seem that it's nothing
unusual, but for some reason, Walter remembered her. At an age of 3, she was
already very beautiful. And with such a name! That is why Walter watched her
for the next ten years in the subway. It was her favorite way of
transportation.
------------------------------------------------
b) A godly name (original text by DoVoD, edited by SilentPyramid, translated
by Darth_Blade).
I bet you're all just itching to know what is so special about the name
Cynthia. A little research will tell you, that it is another name for the
goddess Artemis! Why doesn't your confused expression change to that of
fascination, my dear reader? Oh, you're not familiar with Artemis? Okay then...
Artemis (Diana in Roman mythology) is the goddess of hunt, moon, fertility,
plants and innocence. She was supposed to be a patron of animals and pregnant
women. She was usually depicted with a tower-shaped crown on her head (or a
crescent on the same part of the body), holding a bow in one hand and holding
a deer by its horns with the other. But what's even more fascinating is that
Artemis was a virgin. She is also supposed to be accompanied by beautiful
nymphs.
So, we can assume that Cynthia's name and appearance made a false impression
on Walter. She was beautiful like Artemis, was always accompanied by other
girls (nymphs), of which she was the most beautiful. He also heard that she
spent a lot of time in night clubs (rests and dances with Apollon). And her
dress was short. Well, she didn't hunt any animals in his presence...
But was she really as divine as he thought her to be?
c) About 16 years ago (based on Another Crimson Tome)
Cynthia was only 13 years old and spent most of her time in adult company,
keeping her actual age secret. Obviously, she wasn't very self-restricing,
thinking only about parties and other forms of "adult" entertainment.
On this fateful day, Walter Sullivan has finally decided to approach her. He
was very shy ("e...excuse... me..."). Just thinking of how difficult it was
for him to do - he had been watching her for 10 years and was too afraid to
talk to the girl, whom he held equal to a goddess. For the first time in his
life he got over his fear of people. But Cynthia didn't want to have anything
to do with a bum ("Your clothes are so filthy and smell so bad... Do you think
that's the kind of thing a girl like me is into? No way!"). At first, she even
tried flirting with him a little, but after learning that he had been watching
her for 10 years, she snapped at him ("You're disgusting!!"). Could she
understand, that he just didn't dare approach her all these years?
Once again, Walter's illusion was shattered. The goddess turned out to be a
simple slut, one of many in this cruel world...
---------------------------------
Lately, Cynthia Velasquez had been having strange dreams, in which she found
herself in a strange world. She saw a man in a long coat. The man she saw in
the subway 16 years ago.
What was the reason for these nightmares? Her unhealthy way of life? ("I think
...I drank too much last night..."). Could she think, that it is something
more than just a nightmare ("Could the nightmare be awake?"). Although, she
preferred rational thinking and still looked at it as just meaningless
nightmares, thinking that she is just asleep and is seeing a sstrange dream
("This is just a dream", but "a really terrible one" - Cynthia wants to "wake
up"). And if it's just a dream that holds no threat to her life, she can even
try and gain some pleasure ("It's just a dream, so I might as well have some
fun..." - just like survival-horrors). She starts to feel nauseous (is it from
the alcohol last night or is it Walter's influence?) and stumbles into the
subway, where, as we can assume, she faints and her consciousness is drawn
into Walter's world.
-----------------------------
g) The phone call
When Cynthia feels that there's something wrong, there is a phone call in
Henry's Room (which is actually Walter's world). The plea for help in the
phone is the reflection of Cynthia's desire to be protected. A short time
later the resident of Room 302 also finds himself in the Subway World.
------------------------------
Cynthia doesn't like her new nightmare (she thinks that it is all just HER
dream - "This is MY dream") and she wants to get out of it as quickly as she
can, but feels uneasy staying alone, so she sticks to Henry, promising to do
him a "special favor" (notice that the moment when she puts her hand against
Henry's cheek is a replay of the similar scene with Walter 16 years ago). We
all know what kind of "favor" she's talking about. Also note the necklace
she's wearing - appartenly, she's not poor.
Soon, she starts feeling nausea again, runs into the women's toilet, leaving
Henry to face the Sniffer Dogs and then vanishes without a trace.
----------------------------------------------------
h) Why does Cynthia disappear?
As we can see, Cynthia sometimes vanishes from Walter's world. This is because
of the instability of her consciousness - her mind is jumping between reality
and Walter's subconscious world. Maybe, after throwing up, she felt better and
she returned to the real world for a short time.
----------------------------------------------------
The next time we meet her locked inside a train. Hmm, Sullivan's antics again.
His desire to be locked in has played an evil joke not only on Joseph and
Henry, but also on Cynthia.
From Cynthia's screams "Hurry! Help me! Someone's coming! Get me out of here!"
it becomes obvious that she is being pursued by Walter Sullivan.
Soon we hear her voice again on the intercom - she tells Henry that's she's
found an escape route ("..Henry, I found the exit. Come to the turnstile...").
Henry was supposed to protect and help her, but she found an exit herself and
even tried to help Henry, by transmitting the message - and ended up dead.
Sullivan has claimed his sixteenth victim.
When Henry finds her, it is already too late. Cynthia is lying in a pool of
her own blood, she is dying... But she still wants to believe that it is all
just a crazy dream ("It's just...a dream, right...?"). But it's all over, the
numbers 16121 are carved into her flesh and now she is doomed to roam this
nightmare forever.
--------------------------------------------
i) Temptation
Each murder has a specific meaning. The meaning of Cynthia is "Temtation",
which is determined by her sexual unrestrictedness. In this she is similar to
Maria from SH2 (SH2 even had a similar tablet - the tablet of the Seductress).
j) Why was Cynthia's murder more cruel than usual?
I think everyone noticed that in Cynthia and Eileen's cases Walter was very
violent. Cynthia had numerous pierced wounds and Eileen was supposed to be
beaten to death. The reason for this sadism is his hatred for women, which
grew from his hatred towards his mother, who abandoned him.
k) The Tower.
As we know, all the victims correspond to Tarot Cards. The #16 Tarot card is
The Tower. It depicts a tower, which is being destroyed by a lightning bolt.
It has not collapsed yet, but it has already cracked from top to bottom. At
the base of the tower a man is lying, also hit by a lightning. He is dressed
in poor and run-down clothes. Another man is falling from the tower - he is
dressed in rich clothes and is wearing a crown. This is a symbol of the
meaning of the 16th Arcane - the idea of failure and destruction. All that we
see on the picture is evidence of the existance of Fate and Divine Will: they
don't care about your part in society and the hierarchy of this world. When
time comes, you and your world will be swept away by the powers you have no
chance of taming. Undoubtedly, in the context of SH4, this symbolizes Walter's
wish to destroy this world with the "Power of Heaven".
And what does Cynthia represent? She is a creation of human world and society.
An innocent and pure child, that was comparable to a Goddess turned into a
slut by this world. A slut, just like Walter's mother. Can such a woman really
care about her child and make him happy? No, she will just continue the circle
of sin and suffering, upon which the Tower of the society is built. Someone
must find the strength to break the circle and raze the Tower, along with its
inhabitants.
The murder of Cynthia reveals Walter's hatred towards the real world, full of
dirt, sin and cruelty.
--------------------------------------------
On the same day the bloody remains of a woman were found in South Ashfield
Street station. The policemen saw strange numbers cut into her breast
(although, from the "Mother" and "Escape" endings we know that these weren't
real - just elements of Walter's world).
---------------------------------------
l)
Quote: It's just a dream, so I might as well have some fun...
Metaphor: Temptation
Music: Silent Circus
Symbol: Make-up
Name: In his earlier years, the name Cynthia was associated with divine purity
in Walter's world but later it is explained in a completely different manner.
Seeing as how "Cynthia" is phonetically similar to "Sin", we see the
connection: "Return to the Source through SIN's Temptation".
The last name is taken from the famous Spanish artist Diego Velasquez, many of
whose pictures showed scenes from the Bible.
So, "Sin-Temptation-Religion". I think no further explanation is needed.
m) Sexy-Cynthia (bonus)
During your second and further runs throught the game, we can encounter
Cynthia wearing a very... exotic costume. We know that when they get into
Walter's world, they start to "play by his rules", and what happens to them
depends completely on what the creator of the world believes will happen. But
who would expect Walter to have THIS kind of fantasies... freaky pervert. And
that rabbit tattoo on her spotted owl? We can only thank Walter for not
thinking up anything for Henry ^_^
Come on, kiddies! Gather around! Now, tell me, everyone... Aren't you sick and
tired of those ol' stupid bonus costumes?
4-7. Jasper Gein.
Age: 28
----------------------------------------
a) Victims List info
Victim 17/21
Name: Jasper Gein
Occupation: Unknown
Gender/features: Thin white male
Height/weight: 185 cm, 67 kg
Hobbies: Occult/ghost stories
Other: Friend of the earlier victims Bobby and Sein
Motive: Source
Method: Burned
Location: Wish House orphanage in Silent Hill
Item left behind: Bottle of chocolate milk.
-----------------------------------------
Jasper Gein was into paranormal things and was friends with Bobby Randolph and
Sein Martin, who shared his obsession. Together, they visited Silent Hill -
they liked the mysterious atmosphere of the town. Once they came upon the Wish
House and looked inside ("A, a l-long time ago...I, I wa-, I was c-curious,
so I, I took a look inside... "). They overheard a conversation, in which
someone from the Pleasant River University was compared to the "Holy Mother"
(obviously it was in the Wish House - where else could they hear such a
conversation?). It was said, that Walter's ritual will bring about the coming
of the Holy Mother - "By the Sacraments, the Holy Mother shall appear in the
countries of the world and shall bring salvation to the sinful ones.". Later
in the game we find a letter, asking about Walter's "progress". So, Jasper and
co. decided that the Holy Mother is the devil and that this student is the
"Devil's friend". Of course the wanted to meet him. Determined to find the
Devil, the trio went to Pleasant River University.
---------------------------------------
b) About 10 years ago (from Another Crimson Tome translated by excuse17)
"Hey, The Devil is your friend? He will come here soon?" - asked Bobby. Then,
the gentle student replied, "No... He is not my friend. Don't hide there. Come
up here guys." After hearing his calling, Sein showed up from the corner and
walked out to join them.
But Jasper could not join them because he was somehow scared and his legs were
shaking.
"C'mon, Don't you wanna meet the devil?" To Jasper, the man's gentle voice
sounded like a devil calling him.
And suddenly he heard Bobby's scream and then Sein's voice screaming "Help
me!!!" echoing all over the place.
"Hey, still hiding there? Come on up buddy... You came here to see me Jasper"
said the man.
Jasper was so scared that he started to run away from him. He stopped running
in front of a drug store in a town, thinking it's OK here since I made this
far. He turned back, but the scary devil was gone.
After the incident, Jasper's friends Bobby and Sein were missing for a while.
---------------------------------------
Later, the bodies of Bobby and Sein were found in the Pleasant River
University campus. Both were stangled and the numbers 02121 and 03121 were cut
into their chests. Gein started having strange dreams, in which he visited the
Silent Hill forest.
-----------------------------------
c) 2,5 years ago
"Th-There was another g-guy here before... A...a...a real nosy guy..." -
says Jasper. He means Joseph Schreiber. The two met 2,5 years ago in Walter's
Forest World. At this time Joseph still believed, that he came to the real
Silent Hill cemetary, but it was, in fact, the cemetary of Walter's
subconscious world. Standing in the cemetary of the Forest World, Gein says:
"Th-That n-nosy guy that WAS HERE". Nevertheless, Joseph was already
half-insane by that time (you try spending so much time in a serial killer's
subconscious - I'll look at you then) and spoke in riddles: "His home is the
orphanage in the middle. The lake is northwest. So the opposite is southeast",
"If you bring the dug-up key, you can't go back. Put it away somewhere before
you return there". Jasper didn't understand a thing from this. Of course,
Walter could sacrifice Gein back then, but his time hadn't come then.
-----------------------------------
Even after what happened to his friends, Jasper didn't abandon his hobby. Now
he is interested in the history of the natives, that lived in the area before
Silent Hill was founded ("I-I-In the o-old d-days, th-the n-n-natives called
it... "N-Na-Nahkeehona"... ") and their rituals ("...A...a...a c-ceremony
f-for t-talkin' to the dead..."). Which, by the way, gives an interesting idea
- maybe he wanted to resurrect his friends? Also, he is very interested in
Dahlia's variant of the Silent Hill cult - look at his shirt. Hey! It's our
old friend Samael from SH1, the God of Alessa's world, whom Dahlia worshipped.
We saw this image before - in the book Silent Hill's Ancient Gods: A Study of
Their Etymology and Evolution , About Syncretic Religions. Hmm... where could
he get such a cool t-shirt? Maybe some enthusiastic satanists restored the
cult and are making money on selling "holy" t-shirts? Or is it Walter's
fantasies again?
Jasper Gein worships Dahlia's God and waits for the Apocalypse -
"F-Finally...the Th-Third Revelation... Something big's gonna happen...
Finally, it's gonna happen!". But what are the reasons for this kind of faith?
We know that Dahlia had a VERY unhappy childhood, being a Jew during World War
II - she wants to end all the suffering of life. But Jasper... it seems like
it was considered "cool" to be into paranormal activity at that time. I think
that he didn't REALLY want to see the devil, or for the world to end - he just
wanted to hang out with Sein and Bobby. Anyway, the time for self-exploration
has passed - "Something big's gonna happen... Finally, it's gonna happen!" -
when Jasper comes to Silent Hill (probably, he felt that he MUST come to the
abandoned town. To meet the devil?) he is drawn into Walter's Forest World,
along with Henry Townshend.
--------------------------------
d) Why is Jasper thirsty?
When he came to Silent Hill, Jasper's throat always ran dry from fear. This
thirst is a sign of his fear and anxiety.
e) Why is Jasper stuttering?
He is cold. Scared and cold (could cold and fear be symbols of loneliness?).
Notice that he does not stutter when he is on fire. He's warm? %)
-------------------------------
In the altar room in the Wish House he finally meets the Devil. We see him
alive for the last time - the flame of hell is devouring him, but he seems
happy - his wish has finally come true. It is unclear, wether Walter set him
on fire, or Jasper did it himself after seeing "The Devil". But the fact
remains - he died the same death Dahlia did and he's now doomed to burn
forever in this endless nightmare. "And the Martyrs will Burn in the Fires of
Hell!!".
---------------------------------------
f) Source
Each murder in Walter's world has a meaning. Jasper's is - "Source", because
his main characteristic was his fanatical Faith (so fanatical, that he didn't
even know WHY he wants to meet the Devil and see the "Third Revelation"). The
main theme of the second visit to the Forest World is searching the dark wells
with a torch - a SOURCE of light, driving the darkness away. See the
connection? Faith is compared to light, illuminating the path in the pitch
darkness. Jasper is destined to become the Source of this Faith in Walter's
world by becoming a part of it.
g) The Star
As we know, all the victims correspond to Tarot Cards. The #17 Tarot Card is
The Star. It symbolizes Hope and Faith - aquite appropriate for Jasper Gein.
But we know, that his Faith was not real - he just followed his interest in
the occult, which, in turn, was a result of outside influence and his wish to
hang out with someone. Ironically, it was his fear of being left alone that
made him believe in Silent Hill's God. This Faith leads him right into
Walter's snare...
---------------------------------------
This day, a burned body of a man was found not far from Silent Hill.
Apparently, Jasper really did come to Silent Hill where he burned himself.
According to the newscast, the numbers 17121 were cut into his chest (we
already know about the reality of these numbers), so the police suspects
another copycat of the Walter Sullivan case.
-----------------------
h)
Quote: Finally... the Third Revelation... Something's gonna happen...Finally,
it's gonna happen!
Metaphor: Source
Symbol: Torch
Name: The last name is probably a reference to the famous killer Ed Gein, who
is referenced in all four games of the series. But apart from that there is no
real hidden mening in his name.
4-8. Andrew DeSalvo
Age: Above 50
---------------------------------------------
a) Victims List info
Victim 18/21
Name: Andrew DeSalvo
Occupation: Guard
Gender/features: Middle aged white male
Height/Weight: 168 cm, 98 kg
Hobbies: Unknown
Other: Watched children in the Wish House orphanage
Motive: Watchfulness
Method: Drowning
Location: Water Prison near Silent Hill
Item left behind: Bloody shirt.
--------------------------------------------
In Dahlia's time (around 30 years ago) the cult wasn't very popular, so there
were not enough cult members to keep watch in the Wish House. This prompted
the cult to hire non-believers. One of these was Andrew DeSalvo, who was
always drunk and violent. The children and other guards called him Fat Pig.
-------------------------
b) Around 30 years ago (from Another Crimson Tome translated by excuse17)
"Hey you punk! You wanna go out and play in the forest? I don't care about the
cult's teachings. You got the permission? I don't care. I'm the rule here. If
you play in the forest wuthout my permission again, you'll be sorry."
Shouthing like this, he hit the children.
"Hey, we got the permission from God, don't you know that?" asked the children.
"Don't talk back!!! You little kids." said Andrew. Andrew kept hitting the
children.
"You don't understand the words of God... Fat Pat will be punished by God."
murmured the children at hear, rubbing their swollen cheeks.
-------------------------
Andrew didn't care whether the children followed the rules or not. He beat
them up anyway, although this kind of behaviour went good with Dahlia's
teachings. Andrew could care less about the cult's teachings ("That kid,
Walter... He was really into that mumbo jumbo..." - DeSalvo wasn't really into
all this).
So, he beat Walter up with and without a reason ("I got hit agin I didnt do
anethin rong I wish he wuz ded") and probably even killed Walter's friend Bob.
He wouldn't leave him alone even in the prison - beat him up, made him drink
water with black things in it (leeches. Probably yet another attempt by the
cult to put an "Incubus" in the children). Not surprising that Walter wanted
to stick the Sword into his belly.
Now, the tables have turned. Now DeSalvo will be trapped in Walter's Water
Prison World, along with Henry Townshend.
-------------------------------------
d) DeSalvo in the cell.
We first meet Andrew in the cell, from where he screams "Get me out... Get me
the hell out of here... He's...he's gonna kill me! Walter's gonna kill me!".
Well, we gotta get used to the fact, that in somebody always gets locked up in
Walter's world.
------------------------------------
Notice, that when Andrew meets Wally, he kneels and mumbles "Oh my God, oh my
God". It seems that now he believes...
Later we find him dead in the Death Chamber, floating in the water with a
wound in his belly and the numbers 18121. Intersting that his ghost form
recites religious texts and looks quite happy. Maybe he has finally gained
Faith?
--------------------------------------
e) Watchfulness.
Each murder in Walter's world has a meaning. DeSalvo's meaning is
Watchfulness, which is obviously derived from his work in the orphanage, the
All-Seeing Eye of the Panopticon. Walter was always being watched ("I wanna
hide but I can't hide"). It was Watchfulness that he brought to Walter's world
by becoming a part of it. I'm watching you... I'm always watching you...
f) The Moon
As we know, all the victims correspond to Tarot Cards. The #18 Tarot Card is
The Moon, which can have a lot of meanings. One of the is Deception, mistrust
and anxiety. (the same card applies to Vincent, as stated in LM). DeSalvo
could be described as a very anxious person, and Watchfulness can also be seen
as a sign of mistrust.
g)
Quote: Scary...My god... Oh...oh, my god...
Metaphor: Watchfulness
Symbol: bloody shirt
Name: DeSalvo is an interesting name. On one hand "DeSa" reminds me of Marquis
de Sade. On the other hand - Salvo could be a derivative of Salvation, and
remembering his connection to the cult...
4-9. Richard Braintree.
Age: around 50
----------------------------------
a) Victims List info
Victim 19/21
Name: Richard Braintree
Occupation: Unknown
Gender/features: Middle aged white male
Height/weight: 178 cm, 76 kg
Hobbies: Unknown
Other: had "disagreements" with his neighbor Mike
Motive: Chaos
Method: Electrocution
Location: room 207 of SAHapts
Item left behind: revolver
---------------------------------
Braintree never like children and he didn't like Wally in particular.
Moreover, he wasn't angry because of something - he was just furious at Walter
merely for coming to SAHapts. Was it Walter's fault at all? No, but he still
suffered. But it wasn't just Walter that Richard hated. He couldn't stand
people in general ("I feel sorry for him, having to live under Braintree..." ,
"How can they even sleep with so many noisy kids? Besides that, they have to
live next to Braintree.") - even bought himself a gun to keep them away. It
looks like Richard didn't like anybody breaking into his seclusion, entering
his life and getting close in general. He wanted to be alone in a world of
Absolute Order. And of course, the appearance of a kid prevented this Order.
Maybe Walter and Richard had more in common, than most people think?
-------------------------------
b) Around 20 years ago (from Another Crimson Tome translated by excuse17)
"Hey, Richard's gone nuts again"
"He lost his temper this time"
"I'll bet next time will be even more fun"
The residents of South-Ashfield Heights enjoyed talking about him. He was
famous for his short temper.
The worst incident was when Mike, the resident of room 301, bumped into
Braintree's shoulder in the corridor of the apartment unintentionally.
At the time Richard was even more moody than usual. He yelled, "Who do you
think I am?" and dragged Mike by the collar of his shirt into his apartment,
room 207.
"Not again" said the crowd from the apartment, and they went to room 207 to
see what was going to happen. Suddenly, the door opened and a stark-naked Mike
came out of the room. Right after that, Richard came out of the room, holding
Mike's shirts and jeans soaked in blood.
"How do you like that, you sick little freak? You had it comin' to you!" said
Richard as Mike ran away from him. Richard threw away Mike's clothes and said
"These clothes are disgusting. Get'em outta my sight!"
Then, a middle-aged woman in the crowd said, "I know... It'll be perfect to
wrap his body in," and she took the jeans.
"Hold it! Hold it... I think I'll keep that one for myself..." said a drunk,
and he took the shirts.
After that, Richard took a look into the crowd and noticed a little kid among
the crowd and yelled, "You!! You snooping around again!? Get outta here before
you really piss me off!"
-----------------------------------
10 years ago.
Braintree never like new people, and neither did he like people in general.
10 years ago through the window in his room he saw an unknown man in a long
coat in Room 302. This made him suspicious and he asked the superintendant
about him. But the man was never found.
Today.
Richard learns that something strange is going on it Room 302 again. Just like
2,5 years ago, when a journalist, living there, went crazy and locked himself
in ("He got pretty crazy towards the end... Shut himself up in his room and
wouldn't come out...") and then disappeared.
The set order of things is broken again and Richard calls the superintendant.
--------------------------------------
c) Richard's a weirdo [the original title was a bit different, but... It's my
translation anyway, so I might as well have some fun - Translator's note]
Notice that when Eileen asks Richard "Hey, Richard. Can you see anything from
your window?" he says "No...everything looks pretty normal to me". Could this
mean he was watching Room 302!? We often see him looking out of his window and
he was the first to notice Walter in Room 302. It seems that he secretely
watches other people from his apartment. Is he looking for those, who break
the Order?
It's interesting, that Richard is trying to keep his Order, watches it and
calls Frank whenever something's wrong, but at the same time has a very short
temper and carries a gun. Maybe these two conflicting sides of his persona are
connected after all?
--------------------------------------
Soon, Richard finds a HOLE in his apartment ("That hole...and this freaky
world...") and through it he enters the Building World. Richard's
consciousness, that it - as we can see, his body is lying on the bed all this
time.
--------------------------------------
d) First meeting with Richard
When Richard finds himself on the roof of the Building World, he is attacked
by Walter's Gum Heads, who represent ordinary people in Walter's world.
Richard killing "people" - quite appropriate for his attitude towards people.
Finally, he is thrown off the roof and after a "lucky" landing meets Henry
Townshend - and the first thing he does is aim the gun at him. But, seeing as
how Henry is the first real person he met in this world, he puts it down ("Ah,
you're a real person..." - though he doesn't sound very happy). But if Henry
is in this world too, there must be something wrong with the whole apartment
building ("there must be something wrong with the whole apartment
building..."). Despite the danger, Richard walks off alone, leaving Townshend
to face the dangers of the Building World ("Anyway... I'm gettin' the hell out
of here. You should, too -- if you know what's good for you.").
e) Second meeting with Richard
We see Richard for the second time in the elevator - he has met young Walter.
Note - he is threatening him with his revolver - THREATENING A CHILD WITH A
GUN. This guy is obviously sick. Of course, Wally gets scared and runs away
and Braintree chases after him.
--------------------------------
Later we find Richard in room 207 on an electric chair. The numbers 19121 are
cut into his forehead. Henry tries to help him, but to no avail - again he is
too late to save a life.
------------------------------
f) Why an electric chair?
This is the result of his "disagreement" with Mike. Walter thought, that
Richard actually skinned him, that he is an evil murderer. That is why in
Walter's world Richard is executed by electrocution.
g) Chaos
Each murder in Walter's world has a meaning. Richard is Chaos. Even though
Richard has always cherished Order, the motive for his murder was Chaos. The
reason for this is because the image of Richard was strongly associated with
the day-to-day life of the SAHapts residents, whose lives Walter couldn't
comprehend and considered to be Chaos. Notice that the numbers are cut into
his FOREHEAD - this means the Chaos was in his head (his short temper as a
result). Richard brought Chaos into Walter's realm.
h) The Sun
As we know, all the victims correspond to Tarot Cards. The #19 Tarot Card is
The Sun. Let's look at the picture. We see two naked children playing in the
sun, a ruined wall in the background. This represents simple earthly happiness.
We see innocence and benevolence, which receive the world's light and warmth.
All this image is a reminder, that without these, any other action or thought
is doomed to a quick death. True happiness can only be attained by those, who
live simple and wise, without bothering too much with ambitions.
It was this very "Sun", that Braintree lacked. His wish for Order grew from
his wish to have this simple happiness. But because of the people around him,
this carefree existance was always ruined (a bunch of kids in one room and
lots and lots of loud music in another), which infuriated Braintree. He wanted
Order and happiness, but this could not be attained as long as Chaos ruled his
soul. Maybe he just had to perceive life as something simple, just like The
Sun card suggests. Maybe this was the way to his happiness?
Now we come to the negative meaning of the card. Turned upside down, this card
represents misfortune coming from ambitions. In other situations it represents
one's agressivness and problems in communicating with people, stemming from
one's inability to perceive life in a less sophisticated way.
As you can see, the negative meaning of "The Sun" fits Richard perfectly.
-------------------------------
On the same day Richard Braintree's body was found in his apartment. The cause
of his death is unknown, but one of the policemen noticed the numbers 19121
carved into his forehead ("Looks like another one, captain.. ...got
"1...121"... on his head...").
i)
Quote: You!! You snoopin' around again?! Get your ass outta here before you
really piss me off!
Metaphor: "Chaos"
Symbol: revolver
Name: being researched.
4-10. South Ashfield Heights apartments residents.
They spend every day of their life in their cage-rooms in the hollowness and
loneliness of "un-existance". These people have no lives - they only watch
their neighbors and discuss rumors about Mike and Rachel, and Richard's short
temper. Maybe by feeding off other people's lives, hearing rumors, they felt
as if they lived too, trying to forget about the meaninglessness of their own.
Then what is the difference between them and the lifeless "victims" of
Walter's world?
Let us take a look at the people that lived in SAHapts 28 years ago (notice
that Henry regards them in the past tense - "It's a painting by the person who
LIVED in this apartment..."). This is how they were left in Walter's memory.
a) Room 101
The "gun maniac". This person collected various weapons - tools for killing
people. I wonder what HE thought about his hobby? IMHO, such a hobby could
mean, that he was actually afraid of people ("That guy's dangerous..." - he is
afraid of Richard) and wanted to feel protected, which the massive amount of
weaponry gave him. Living next to 102, he suffered from allergy and once lost
it and killed a cat. As the "gun maniac" admits himself, he felt good when
doing it ("It was way cool."), which makes us remember Eddie from SH2. He
killed a dog - "Yeah, I killed that dog. IT WAS FUN! It tried to chew its own
guts out! Finally died all curled up in a ball". He made up an excuse for that
- said that the dog was making fun of him, as did all other people: "B,but...
it wasn’t my fault. He, he made me do it! That guy... he, he had it coming! I
didn’t do anything. He just came after me! Besides he was making fun of me
with his eyes! Like that other one... Just like that stupid dog.". The "gun
maniac" is just like him - did he really kill that cat out of pure
self-defense (from allergy) or because he WANTED to kill somebody? - makes you
think of the rise of violence, doesn't it?
b) Room 102.
This woman loved cats and missed her chance to marry. Now she is left alone.
Well, she has her cats, who replaced people for her. But 28 years ago one of
her beloved pets was killed by the "weapon maniac". It was a terrible loss for
the woman and she kept the body of her cat in the fridge, unable to find the
strength to part with him.
c) Room 105.
The superintendant, Frank Sunderland. See 4-4.
d) Room 202.
An artist and the boyfriend of Rachel the nurse. For some reason all his works
depict other residents of SAHapts. Could it be that he couldn't find the
inspiration in his life? Well, he was a lousy artist anyway.
e) Room 106.
Rachel the nurse. She worked in St.Jerome's Hospital, where Mary Sunderland
spent the last years of her life. Not long before dying, Mary asked Rachel to
give James her goodbye letter (probably because the Sunderlands also lived in
SAHapts), but soon this letter disappeared from the hospital (along with a
little girl named Laura) and soon the Sunderland couple disappeared too...
Rachel has a boyfriend, who lives in room 202 ("my darling's number" - the
call goes to 202) but 28 years ago Mike, a weird guy, began to stalk her,
sending her tons of love letters and watching her from his window. Of course,
she didn't like this kind of attention and his love found no response. This
situation was unintentionally settled by Richard Braintree.
It is known, that Rachel still lives in SAHapts.
f) Room 107.
Music fan. This guy prefers listening to music to talking to people. Look at
the stereo in his apartment. Ouch, I wouldn't like to be in Richard's place.
Because of his green t-shirt, many people think that this man is Jasper Gein,
but it is wrong. He lives in SAHapts even today. See the that epyleptic guy
under Richard's room? That's him.
g) Room 203.
Alcoholic. His only goal was to get drunk to the point of passing out as
quickly as possible. And when he couldn't reach that point he went nuts. But
if drinking becomes the meaning of one's life, could he even be considered
human anymore? Just like him, Walter wanted to go into an eternal slumber in
his Mother's womb. By the way, look at all these bottles in his apartment.
Impressive, isn't it?
28 years ago he witnessed Mike's encounter with Richard. He took Mike's bloody
shirt then ("Hold it.... Hold it... I think...I'll keep that one... for
myself...")
h) Room 204.
This woman is obsessed with food - she is always eating something. She is also
a good cook, though she is lonely, so no one can have a taste of her culinary
talents.
i) Room 205.
Gamer. He locked himself in his apartment and immersed himself in the world of
games. But deep down he didn't want to be alone, he wanted to communicate with
people. He recorded the voices of his neighbors on tape and watched them
secretely. 28 years ago he managed to record Richard beating up Mike -
undoubtedly, this record was one of the best in his collection. Now let's take
a look at his apartment. There are lots and lots of computer equipment. There
are also weights (and the gamer seems to be quite a muscular guy) - it seems
that apart from gaming, this guy also paid attention to his physical fitness.
But why did he need to watch after his body if he spent all his time with
games? Also note that the kitchen is closed off. Is this the manifestation of
the motto of all gamers: "Give up smoking, give up drinking, give up
eating"? %)
j) Room 206.
These people have many children. Whilst other residents suffered from
loneliness, these people had problems with many children ("How can they even
sleep with so many noisy kids?"). The kids annoyed Richard Braintree beyond
measure, which resulted in his hatred of children in general.
k) Room 207.
Richard Braintree. See 4-9.
l) Room 301.
Mike. A weirdo, who collects porn magazines - a clear sign, that Mike wasn't
very popular with women. Anyway, 28 years ago he fell in love with Rachel (the
superintendant even thought that he was her boyfriend) and started to send her
tons of love letters, watch her from his window (...love you...always
watching...window... protect you...ith love, Mike). Of course, she didn't like
this kind of attention and his love found no response. This situation was
unintentionally settled by Richard Braintree, who beat Mike up and threw away
his clothes ("Those were my best clothes.") along with one of these letters
("He took it along with my clothes."). After that Mike feared Richard and
didn't dare approach anyone in SAHapts.
2,5 years ago Mike caught strange sounds coming from the door of the apartment
next door, where a journalist, who gave him a rare porn magazine, lived.
Something strange was going on in Room 302...
In SH4 we find Mike's diary in Walter's world. What could this mean? I hope no
one will say that it's just Walter's imagination. Obviously the diary was not
real (it was as real as Walter's whole world was. Which depends on one's
definition of real.), but just a reflection of someone's memories in Walter's
world. Whose memories? Not Walter's for sure because he couldn't have seen the
diary - when Schreiber disappeared he was already dead. If it wasn't Walter
memory, then it was Mike's.
Now let's think about how these memories could appear in Walter's world. In
SH3 Harry's notes, left in Alessa's world, remain. In SH4 the Red Diary is
actually the representation of Joseph's thoughts...
This indicates that Mike actually was in Walter's world. It's not surprising -
he lived right next door and felt the influence of Walter's psychic energies
strongly. At that time, Joseph was drawn into Walter's world - maybe Mike was
drawn in for a short time too. The diary says July 1st and 2nd, but it
describes the events that took place 28 years ago and the events that happened
2,5 years ago (Joseph's disappearance - timeline is relative to SH4. For Mike
it was "today".). This is because the diary is a sort of conglomeration of
Mike's short thoughts, left in Walter's world - when he got there, his
thoughts became confused (not unlike what happened to Henry and Eillen. And
James.) and the events of different time periods became mixed up.
m) Room 302
Henry Townshend. See 4-2.
n) Room 303.
Eileen Galvin. See 4-3.
o) Room 304.
Old couple. Look at their apartment. There's a strange feeling of... serenity
to it. There are two bibles lying in the hallway... It seems to me that these
two people have already accepted death and prepared for it. They live in
peaceful wait for death. Anyway, if that was the thing 28 years ago, then now
they are dead already and their memories only live in Walter's world.
We see, that the main theme of the SAHapts residents is loneliness, emptiness
and lifelesness. They are all locked inside their rooms and living their lives
and going deeper and deeper into their worlds - worlds of strange hobbies
(guns, cats, games), unable to change this life and slowly dying inside. Can
Walter change this world?
In the context of the "21 Sacraments" ending, Walter's influence reaches
incredible levels and the residents have chest pains. Remembering SH1 and the
fact that everyone, who is drawn into somebody's world, will eventually die
from a heart attack, we can understand, that Walter's world began to influence
the whole building. Could this influence spread to the whole city? Does the
shadow of Silent Hill now loom over Ashfield?...
5. Characters of Silent Hill: Dying inside
NOW ANALYSING... PLEASE WAIT...
6. Characters of Silent Hill: Among the Damned.
6-1. Jason
Age: around 25
Occupation: Retired soldier
Jason has no family - he's an orphan. His only friend in life used to be
Aaron, also an orphan. They supported each other and replaced each other
family. They became like brothers. Both of them were in Silent Hill before
(maybe they even grew up in the cult's orphanage) and there, in the mountains,
they swore to be together forever and if Fate separates them, to meet in the
town, at that very place.
A few years ago both of them joined the army. A while later, their group got
into an ambush and was destroyed. Only Jason survived - his comrades and Aaron
sacrificed their lives to save his life. But why him? Why did so many die, so
that he could live?
Upon return, he was taken into a court martial to determine if he was a
traitor, but, of course, there was no evidence against him and he was let out.
Nonetheless, this trial left a deep scar in his soul - he protected his
country, survived a deathtrap only to become a suspect for trreson! Even after
some time, he still remember all the questions he was asked and these memories
enrage him ("Bastards... BASTARDS").
Jason escaped death and should now enjou life, but... He can't go on living,
breathing and tries to forget what happened. Does he know HOW to live? Even
though he wasn't a soldier anymore, the war went on in his soul. He was trying
to forget, but could not ("I want it to be a dream. But it's not. I KNOW it's
not"). In his nightmares, the memories of that tragedy still followed him,
making suffer again and again. They were always near... the ghosts of his dead
comrades...
Now Jason's life has turned into Hell - he has nobody to support him and no
reason to live ("I need a reason... to live"). He couldn't get rid of the
painful memories... Couldn't avoid survivor's guilt before his comrades and
Aaron ("Aaron... I'm sorry"). Because of his low self-esteem ("You worth ten
of any of us. You're the only one who could never see that, bro") Jason
couldn't understand why is was HIM, who was supposed to live on. He thought it
was unfair, that he was unworthy of living. He had the gift of life, but guilt
prevented him from accepting it. He just had to stop living, and the nightmare
would end. But if he kills himself, will all these death be in vain?
So Jason spent time dreaming of death - this was reflection even in his
dreams... But now it's time to end this. He comes to Silent Hill to commit
suicide. To the place, where he and Aaron swore to meet, should fate separate
them. The breathtaking view of Toluca Lake was the last thing he was supposed
to see. Maybe after death he will meet his friend again...
But Jason's dream was not to be fulfilled. On his way to the mountains his car
hits a girl and after that... The man with darkness in his heart starts to see
the worlds of Silent Hill. His own world, Dahlia's world and the worlds of
others, caught in Silent Hill.
He first meets his monsters in the police department. When he sees death,
feels danger, he finally understands that he doesn't want to die ("I know what
i wasplanning to do, but... Not like this"). He also meets a girl named Dahlia
- the missing icon of music and cinema, of whom Aaron and Jason dreamt all
their life... Now he has a reason to live - he must protect her no matter the
cost ("I'm gonna get you out of here") ("They can have me, but... not you").
But, when the tortures of Silent Hill are in the past, will Jason have this
reason still? Will he live on? As we see in the end of the comic, the two poor
souls, Dahlia and Jason, leave Silent Hill, which was supposed to become his
last resting place, but became a place of his spiritiual "second birth".
6-2. Aaron
Age: Unknown. It's all the same once you're dead.
Status: dead US army captain
Jason and Aaron both were orphans and became like brothers. A long time ago in
the mountains near Silent Hill they swore to always keep together and meet
there should fate separate them. They even joined the military together...
But the "brothers" were destined to separate. War separated them. Their group
got into an ambush and Aaron sacrificed his life to save his "brother".
We don't know what happened to Aaron after he was captured, but... In the SH
plot we learn, that one's soul can gain the "Power of Heaven" and continue to
exist in a subconscious world after horrible bloody rituals [i.e. much
suffering - Translator's note]. Aaron still exists in the place of his and
Jason's memories - Silent Hill. He still lives in the constant flux of the
"Otherworld" of merging subconscious worlds, thoughts and memories of
different people. Aaron became a ghost, just another shade of the town...
"Sometimes they stay put and haunt that particular place. These spirits have
lost their human senses and memories and can only keep replaying the pain and
sadness of the moment they died. The pain can get so bad that they turn to
humans for salvation".
So, maybe Jason's nightmares are not only a result of his past trauma, but
also the influence of his friend's psychic energies, him calling for help? But
what do the residents of the "Otherworld" need? What do they want from Jason?
They want him to see the alternate reality ("LOOK") and tell others about it
("THEN TELL THEM ALL"). All the residents of this world want Jason to go on
living. To tell the people of the foggy town ("He can tell the story") and
bring more people there... Aaron is not hostile to Jason, he protects him from
Dahlia's monsters and gives him the most valuable piece of advice - "Just keep
breathing".
6-3. Dahlia
Age: around 20
Occupation: missing star
Dahlia was an icon of music and cinema. She had fame, money and a whole lot of
fans, including Aaron and Jason. But despite all that, she saw no reason to
live this life. This emptiness she translated through her songs:
Somebody give me a reason,
Somebody give me just one reason, yeah...
I need a reason
To live...
We can speculate, that the secret to Dahlia's success was te fact, that she
fully opened up to the audience, showing off not only her body, but also the
darkes corners of her soul (Goddess, Whore... This is what I am for), taking
off the human mask each of us wears every day. Dark, but true... Scary, but
charming... After opening up to the audience time and again, Dahlia was left
with the feeling of inner emptiness?
Dahlia couldn't go on living like that and when she hears strange rumors of a
town called Silent Hill, she sets out in search of something, that could
change her life, give it a meaning.
------------------
a) Star goes missing
Dahlia didn't tell anybody about her trip - she just went off without even
leaving a note. The media caught the news quickly - "MUSIC & MOVIE ICON
DISAPPEARS". It was even suspected, that Dahlia killed herself. The star life
was over.
------------------
As soon as Dahlia arrives in Silent Hill, the darkness in her heart manifests
itself and she finds herself in her subconscious world, where monster abound.
But Dahlia sees the bloodthirsty creations of her mind as pretty...
-------------------
b) Alter-ego
Dahlia starts to succumb to her alter ego - the Goddess-Dahlia, a creation of
the girl's "starry" egoism. Maybe this is her true nature? Dahlia-Goddess,
Dahlia-Whore, desiring only pleasure and worship from the people around her...
Dahlia-Goddess is an idol in her world and a crowd of monster-fans worships
her - but their worship became twisted and evil - they literally want to tear
the idol apart... But she likes it ("I think they're preety").
-------------------
In the end Dahlia falls in love with her saviour - Jason. She gives her heart
to him - in the subconscious world it seems to be literally that - giving
heart to him. She has finally found a reason to live..
But what awaits her in the future?
-------------------
c) What next?
So, what next? Let's just speculate? What if Dahlia and Jason decide to start
a new life in Silent Hill. Then they will have a daughter, whom they will name
Alessa. Dahlia will find her place in life by that time. She will lead a
religious sect and will strive to summon God, who will end all earthly
suffering. This goal will become her "Reason to live"... One day she will lock
her daughter in the house and... But that is a completely different story...
7. Characters of Silent Hill: Paint It Black
CoMiNG ReaLlY SOON!
To Be Translated:
1-10. Miscellaneous characters
1-11. Name comments
2-19. Harry Mason and the jolly aliens.
4-11. Jimmy Stone
4-12. Bobby Randolph
4-13. Sean Martin
4-14. Steve Garland
4-15. Rick Albert
4-16. George Rosten
4-17. Billy Lockane
4-18. Miriam Lockane
4-19. William Gregory
4-20. Eric Walsh
4-21. Peter Walls.
4-22. Sharon Blake.
4-23. Toby Archbolt.
4-24. Suguru Murakoshi
4-25. The mysterious ghost.
4-26. Miscellaneous characters.
7. SHPiB Characters.
7-1. Ike Isaacs
7-2. Joe
7-3. The bum
7-4. Phil
7-5. The Bengals
7-6. Cheryl
7-7. Cheryl’s father.
7-8. Chrissie and Missy.
_______________________________________________________________________________
PART 6: SILENT HILL: The Movie analysis
_______________________________________________________________________________
So, fans of Silent Hill can be congratulated with official release of
newborn add-on in the series - Silent Hill: The Movie, directed by
well-known Christophe Hans. According to director’s confession, the idea
about creation of film has arisen already for a long time - about 5 years
ago, when Hans played the first part of the game, but this late release of
a film-masterpiece generally connected to significant amount of time, went
on contacting with developers of the game, to receive the consent to shoot
the film on a sensational game-series and to discuss all questions,
concerning a planned movie. Eventually all problems were solved and film
started shooting, and range of this shooting does not amaze with all
ascetic modesty: the budget of this movie was about 50 millions dollars.
Work about the movie’s script last approximately one and a half month, and
was conducted in common by Christophe Hans, Nicolas Bucrif and Roger
Avary. Nevertheless, developers decided not to create “completely” new
script for the film, and to take as a basis a plot of the first part of
game, having added in it some elements from the second (it is Christophe
Hans's favorite part) and the third - but would be erroneous to think,
that moviemakers wanted to push three parts of game in one movie, since it
wasn’t included at all into their plans. As Hans declared in interview,
during creation of film appeared, that there are so much interesting
moments in the second and the third parts, that directors simply could not
resist against temptation, and something have borrowed from them. Besides,
directors also scooped inspiration in creativity of such well-known film
directors, as David Lynch, David Kronenberg and Michael Mann.
Nevertheless, despite of some borrowed elements of a plot, Silent Hill:
The Movie is not a sequel, not prequel and not even a remake of the game -
primary source: developers did not begin to limit themselves, precisely
following a history and a plot of game, and have preferred to go by a
principle " than to build a new floor of a skyscraper, better simply
beside to build beside a small house ". So, would you like it or not, but
the plot of film in any way doesn’t contact with the plot of the game -
so, it is not necessary to look from the movie for precise following of
the chronology of events established in game, meticulous reproduction of a
map of city according to game, exact replays, which had place in the first
part of game of stages and characters, etc. It is necessary to remember,
that sense of film is not to retell a history of game in the cinema form,
and transfer director’s game sensations through this movie - thus for the
greater expression in film, numerous changes in a plot have been made. For
example, main character from the first part of game had been replaced with
the girl named Rose... Christophe Hans explains it like: «In Harry's game
behavior it not looks like he is a man! [Read, *behaved like a woman* -
comment from SP] When we only started our work on this project, we
planned, that the main character there will be Harry. But subsequently it
became obvious, that Harry behaved like not a man. He constantly fell in
faints, talked to himself, shouted, and in generally was very vulnerable
character. We did not want to betray essence of game, changing feelings
and motivation of character, and so, we had simply decided to replace him
with a girl to keep all his qualities. But it’s not necessary to think,
that we replaced Harry with Rose with political correctness reasons ".
There are also other changes had place - for example, Dahlia person and
character has been completely changed, Alessa’s age at the moment of
burning is also changed, Lisa and scorched Alessa from Alchemilla were
transferred into Brookhaven, the site of the Silent Hill is changed in
comparison with game, etc. And there is one more interesting innovation:
in film was supposed to open a theme of "motherhood" and the " other world
", which was submitted in game, has been solved to make more womanly and
even matriarchal (" Silent Hill is really a matriarchal world ", " I
wanted everything about the world of Silent Hill to be femine " - Hans
said about matriarchal world of Silent Hill and marks a role of the female
beginning in the concept) for what specially was invited designer Carol
Spier, who had worked earlier with David Kronenberg. As vivid example of
similar demonstration of the other world " from female prospect ", for
example, the new design of an creature with a pyramidal head (by the way,
head is not red anymore) which even has dressed a certain similarity of a
skirt to look is more womanly ^ _ ^ And also about the " other world ",
according to statements of the director, in the movie exists four variants
of city: a usual city, foggy Silent Hill, dreadful city (we saw the same
system in the first part of game - but there also was "Anywhere") and
city 30 years ago, appearing in Alessa's memoirs. You shouldn't think that
realize this invention was so simply - in fact for its realization it was
necessary to change scenery several times frequently. And stages of «
alteration of the world «besides also schedules have demanded a
considerable share modern computer graphics... But monsters (besides
cockroaches) haven't been made by computer, they were played by actors
alive! It was made to increase a degree of picture's realism, and to make
behaviour of characters more plausible (in fact difficultly to play the
fright and horror from the monster when actually there is not any
monsters, and then monster is "drawn" by wizards-programmers). But,
despite of all changes brought in a plot, at least one thing has remained
constant - and it is music! So, there are Akira Yamaoka’s original
compositions from the game - primary source are used - that heart of any
SH-fan was filled with reverential trembling at the first chords of
favourite melodies. Later, we shall consider a plot of film in detail, we
shall disassemble chronology of events, familiarize with the basic
characters and monsters, we will find out more about actors, and also we
shall pay attention to some other interests, appeared in film (sendings to
the game - primary source, "film-mistakes", etc.). Oh, if it is
interesting to you, why the analysis of Silent Hill: The Movie has been
born in a separate guide's Part, there are two reasons: first, to
facilitate search, and, the second, because plot of film (against plots of
games) generally has no strict connection with events of a series of
videogames.
1. CHRONOLOGY OF THE EVENTS
Silent Hill - mysterious city in the Western Virginia, Toluca district...
It was prospering enough small town, but now it completely deserted - you
would not even find this place on the map. And, according to newspaper
articles, Silent Hill including into the list of "cities - phantoms" of
America, and in this city where the coal mine was located, for many years
underground fires do not stop... What became the reason of full emptiness
of once prospering resort small town and an original cause of the strange
events which held place in the Silent Hill? There is one and only way to
answer these questions and to slightly open a veil of secret - closely to
investigate a history of this place and to find out, what horrors could be
hidden behind a veil of time.
1) Till 1974 - the dark past
From time immemorial in the Silent Hill there was a religious organization
which top was made generally with city elite. The religion of sectarians
êîðåíèëàñü on that belief, that our guilty ground expects the Apocalypse -
and the unique way to prevent this terrible event consists in that
periodically " to clear fire " the girls bearing(carrying) in is angry -
that is witches. But to whom has been legal to hang up labels and to
judge, who is a witch, and who - ïðàâåäíèöà? This role was incured by
heads of the religious organization - if their finger were specified on
objectionable citizen, and there fanatics started to believe, that the
unfortunate victim is a witch - and burnt her on fire... For so severe
confidential ritual members of sect had special place - a hall where it
was possible to get through a secret room 111 at the Grand Hotel and where
they could create unpunishedly the most dreadful things (on ceremony of
"clarification" members of a cult were supposed except for sinners). And
so the uncountable set of times proceeded - and people believed that they
restore innocence and cleanliness, expel evil, and prevent arrival of
Darkness... Many years these dreamers invented to themselves belief which
would justify their actions. But there are the true monsters are people.
The actions they sowed seeds of evil... But sometime the crop will ripen
and the Reaper announcing terrible revenge for all sinners will come.
2)1965 year (about 40 years ago) - Alessa's birth
Woman, who was Dahlia Gillespie, had a child - the girl was born and
mother has named her "Alessa". In spite of the fact that Alessa had no
father (that generated the big problems for Dahlia - in fact sectarians
will consider her a sinner because of the child who was illegitimate, but
mother was happy to a birth of the daughter - in soul, she loved her child.
3) The beginning of 1974 - school days
At this time nine-year Alessa studies in elementary school Midwich - but
instead of the joyful childhood she should suffer every day mockeries from
the schoolmates who called her "witch" and cut out on a school desk of the
girl "WITCH". But why children so aggressive with her, what did she have
made bad? Anything... The public opinion is simple: parents have told to
children, that Alessa - the child of defect and at she had no father, and
children began to scoff at her as if absence of the father makes the girl
"another", not the person - and any fiend. Influence of sect in city was
so strong, that even at school, children since small years brought up in
religious spirit, imparting them an idea that " All foes of righteous
persons will be condemned " (" All foes of the righteous will be condemned
" - such tablet hung at an entrance school) - and the girl who has been
given birth illegitimate, was in understanding of fanatics a sin alive, a
witch.
Frequently Alessa lead up that the girl in tears escaped in a female
toilet and was hidden there in cabin - but also there Alessa did not find
rescue because of presence of the strange cleaner by name Colin (in some
moments from " other world ", and also from Alessa’s memoirs we
understand, that the cleaner has made something awful with the little
girl). Even Dahlia, despite of love to Alessa, could not help, could not
go counter to the common opinion - everything, that she could do, it to
console the daughter... In opinion of the child mother is protector, the
God, - but even the God sometimes happens is powerless.
4) November, 1974 (30 years ago) - ritual of clarification
Somehow the high-ranking priestess of religious organization
(Christabella) managed to convince Dahlia that her daughter needs to be
cleared from her nasty - so it will be better both for mother, and for the
daughter (probably, Dahlia for that moment yet did not know in what the
essence of this "clarification" consists). And only having arrived with
the daughter in Grand Hotel where ritual of "clarification" should be
carried out, Dahlia has understood, that she had been deceived - and they
are going to burn out her daughter. Now she had understood that she had
done... Could you imagine, what mother feels, losing her own daughter?
Dahlia ran for the help - but it was already late...
At this time sectarians have tried to burn out small Alessa - but ritual
hasn't gone right because the boiler with hot coals has overturned during
ceremony , and the entire building of hotel has lit up (there began a fire
in Silent Hill). When Dahlia has returned with police, they have found
adhered by sectarians to a metal skeleton hardly alive girl with burns on
her body - officer Thomas Guchi took part in rescue of the child (this
person was not afraid at all to open the heated metal handcuffs with his
own hands to rescue the child, that’s why he had received huge burns on
palms) - and thanking his efforts it was possible to rescue Alessa from a
burning building and deliver to hospital alive.
That fatal day the fire actually became the end for Silent Hill - many
people have died at a fire in the city, many - have completely disappeared
(even their bodies never were founded).
5) November, 1974 - 1995 - hospital
For a long time scorched Alessa was carried in hospital Brookhaven
(chamber B151) - she felt only a pain, fear, loneliness... When you're
hurt and scared, your fear and pain turn to hatred and hatred starts to
change the world. Alessa's hatred grew and grew - she overwhelmed with it.
Her hatred became such strong, that Alessa has vented the rage on the
innocent girl - she was pretty nurse working in hospital (which it has
been spoiled with Alessa's force of hatred and became the prisoner of
"other world "). And then it had appeared - "Alessa's dark side", the
demon itself. Everything that it was looking for - was to transform the
world into the worse dreadful dream, to revenge, force those who have
caused Alessa's pain, eternally to suffer - and then entire hospital and
Silent Hill were absorbed by the dreadful world.
And everything good that remained in Alessa had continued to live in the
little girl that Alessa had hidden outside the Hell created by her - in a
children's shelter of district Toluca.
6) 9 years ago - occurrence of the foundling
Nine years ago at the doors of a shelter of district Toluca by the nun,
which name was name Margaret was founded the newborn child - though it was
possible to think, that the child is the usual foundling, its true essence
was other.
To the same year in a shelter have arrived childless spouse - Christopher
and Rose DaSilva and have adopted this child, having named the girl
"Sharon".
7) 2 years ago - a feat police
Two years prior to events of film boy was stolen by an unknown person at
the gas station and had left him in the Silent Hill, having thrown him in
mine whence the child could not get out. Then the officer of police - the
girl by name Cybil Bennett, which had charged with search of the stolen
boy, had gone down in mine, had founded the guy and spent whole three days
in the mine, supporting the child, until a rescue team had arrived. After
so altruistic act, Cybil has deserved reputation of one of the best cops,
which could be charged with any task safely.
8) Today - events of SILENT HILL: The Movie
Nine-year Sharon DaSilva again and again sees strange dreams in which she
sees the mysterious girl. Besides sometimes Sharon lunatic attributes are
shown, and while she is dreaming she leaves her house and go in an unknown
direction, and in addition through dream the girl sometimes suddenly
starts to shout the name of city "Silent Hill" - but, having woken up, she
does not remember anything about it. It is not surprising, that parents
are extremely concerned - in fact something is obviously wrong with their
daughter. Father (Christopher) suggests to place their daughter in
psychiatric hospital on inspection, but her mother (Rose) considers, that
similar methods would not give any results, and it will be better to try
to bring the girl to Silent Hill to clear the reason of strange disease of
the daughter.
So, in one fine day Rose fiduciary from the husband takes away their
daughter and together with her they are going to visit the foggy deserted
city - it is not the best idea. And during this trip there’s something
wrong happens with Sharon - in spite of the fact that before this trip
girl’s pictures were bright and shiny, but as they were approaching the
Silent Hill, style of her drawing considerably varies: girl’s pictures
became gloomy and full of fear - here we can see that dark people holding
the little girl, they are two giants who were spitting the fire, they had
grabbed the child (and as if they were trying to tear her apart) and there
is strange church placed in the background of a flame... It is
interesting, that having woken up, Sharon could not remember, how did she
drew all these horrors.
On a way they had met the officer of police Cybil Bennett. Policeman’s
feeling prompts her, that here is something strange also she decided to
detain mother with her daughter, who were on the way to the deserted city
- phantom for some reasons. But Rose had escaped from pursuit.
And, when mother with daughter were almost arrived in Silent Hill, car
radio, up to tears frightening little Sharon, suddenly starts to hiss
crazily. Rose distracts from driving an automobile to switch off the radio
- and suddenly notices a silhouette of a small girl on the road - during
last moment she turns out a rudder to the left to avoid collision, and
gets in the accident...
When Rose regained consciousness, she finds out, that everything around is
shrouded in an impenetrable fog and there is strange "snow", in actual
fact appearing ashes. Nobody responds on calls for help - it looks like
there is no one around here. And the most important thing - Sharon had
lost! While Rose was looking after her daughter, she came into the Silent
Hill - and noticed a silhouette of the daughter. But why Sharon doesn't
respond to mother's call? Concerned Rose follows a silhouette in a fog
which had guided her in a strange lane. And even more inexplicable events
began here: in the distance the sound of siren was heard and suddenly the
city became shrouded with darkness. Rose decided to continue her searches
of the daughter - with dim light of a small lighter as a conductor she is
dipped into darkness of «other world ". Lattices... Blood... And here Rose
sees the tormented body - with awful wounds it still continues to live,
suffering from never-ending torments! And then mother understands that she
lost in the terrible nightmare - but already late. Suddenly there are
awful creatures started appearing, and Rose in a panic tries to run away
from them, but she can not rescue...
When Rose regained consciousness, there was no one around - perhaps, it
was just a bad dream? But it's not, there is still this strange snow -
ashes on the street, everything around is shrouded in a fog, and there are
mysterious bottomless precipices on the road. After coming nearer to one
of such landslides, Rose meets the strange woman who has almost lost human
shape - Dahlia Gillespie. She had lost her daughter too... But when the
main heroine shows Sharon's photo in the medallion to this woman , Dahlia
starts to shout, that Sharon is her own daughter - perhaps, Gillespie has
simply finally gone mad from burning losses of her only child, or in her
strange behaviour other sense is covered?
After hiding from mad Dahlia, Rose met familiar person - Cybil Bennett,
which arrests unlucky mummy for excess of speed and on suspicion in
abduction of the child. Probably, the girl yet has no the slightest
concept about where she has got and what happens in this mysterious city -
but occurrence of the awful monster (the Lying Figure) immediately forces
her to believe that there is something really strange in this town, and
now it's not the best time to capture criminals. Having taken advantage of
the moment while Bennett was struggling with a creature, Rose was able to
run away again - and mother went to Midwich elementary school where
presumably Sharon could be. But her daughter isn't here, and Rose noticed
the girl in the school form running away, suspiciously reminding her
daughter - following the stranger, Rose eventually finds the tip that her
beloved daughter can be in hotel "GRAND HOTEL". But again everything
around becomes covered by darkness of the "other world " and dreadful
creations start to creep out of all cracks of a school building - and at
this time the girl in the school form which Rose met earlier, continues to
draw in an album awful dark pictures (same how Sharon drew in the
automobile - is there any connection?). Cybil Bennett came to help her in
time; Rose was possible to go through this nightmare again and safely hide
from cockroaches pursuing them, a phantom of the cleaner and a creature in
a skirt with a pyramid on a head, dragging a huge hatchet with him,
cutting through metal, as through a paper sheet.
After finding a hotel, Rose and Cybil found the girl named Anna - she is
one of the citizens that continued to live under aegis of the Supreme
priestess Christabella and for the certain reasons weren't able to get out
from Silent Hill, which was shrouded in fog. The only thing that supports
these people is a belief. Each time when the world is covered with the
outer darkness, the survived sectarians are covered in last haven -
churches where the darkness cannot reach because of depth of their belief,
their convictions; and when the world around becomes more safe, these
people get out outside in searches of food. And when the world has
returned to a "foggy" variant, Anna has come to burnt hotel, finding
livelihood for aged mother.
Heroines find Anna in the heat of arguing with woman already familiar to
us - Dahlia Gillespie. On abuse between women we understand, that Dahlia
in exile among religious fanatics - the woman considers, that «the belief
destroys people sometimes " but her belief are not the only reason of
hostility of members of a cult to her. Nevertheless, cop was able to
separate struggling young women and after that Dahlia leaves a building of
hotel, Rose, Cybil and Anna, who has adjoined them start to investigate
the deserted structure together. Following tips, girls found a secret room
111 behind a picture with the image of a burnt witch, where a long time
ago members of a cult spent the awful ceremonies - and where, in
particular, was burnt Alessa Gillespie. Here Rose again sees a phantom of
a little Alessa (which it is as like as two peas similar on Sharon) - the
heroine sees, that the little girl in a dark blue dress covers with the
flame and here vision disappears.
Also siren howl sounds again, announcing about arrival of darkness - and
people ran to church in searches of shelter. But not everyone made in time
- and Anna who has not time to reach an entrance of the church, finds her
death from hands of a pyramidal creature which ruthlessly breaks off a
body of the unfortunate victim on a part.
From the Supreme priestess - Christabella - Rose finds out, that she can
find Sharon only in the event that she will go to the den of "demon" - the
deserted building of hospital Brookhaven in cellar (room B151) there is a
girl being the reason of existence of darkness. Cybil decides to help
mother with searches of the daughter, and sectarians even venture to lead
heroes up to destination. But, having arrived on a place, Christabella
casually notices the image in a Rose's medallion and understands, that
Sharon is copy of Alessa, and means, she needs "to be cleared" too. Trying
to stop Rose, priestess sets on her sectarians, but Cybil protects her
friend, thus giving her time to reach Alessa's den, but also dooming
itself on victim's fate of religious fanatics. But this was not vain - in
a result Rose was able to pass dreadful nurses and to reach up to Alessa
which will open to her Absolute True about all events which had place in
the city and the truth about Sharon's essence.
Finds out that Alessa cannot penetrate into church because of blind
conviction, boundless belief of fanatics - and so she wants, that Rose has
shaken their belief, having told all the truth, and by that having opened
a way to church for Alessa. Having listened to a history of "Alessa's dark
side «, Rose decides to help the girl with realization of her main desire
- revenge, and allows her to enter her body.
And at this time sectarians found Sharon, which was hiding in the city and
preparing her for the ritual of "clarification". Cybil, captured by
members of the religious organization, tries to overpersuade mad fanatics
in every way, but eventually she was burnt for helping the "demon" - Rose
arrives to church too late to rescue the girl and cannot help her anything
more...
At last, Rose, had entered church, proclaims this Most absolute True to
sectarians. Christabella, seeing, that her belief falls, does not found
the best argument, than to pierce her enemy on religious dispute with a
ritual blade in the heart. But it was already late... Blind conviction of
sectarians was shocked and Alessa's dark world penetrated the church. From
blade's wounds in a breast Rose starts to run dark blood - darkness that
was concealed in Alessa's heart, and the dreadful world, which Rose has
brought in the body (where Alessa entered earlier), was pulled out
outside, absorbing church. We can see that really massacre begins - and
Alessa ruthlessly kills all townspeople, except her mother. The reason why
she has spared Dahlia, consists that "mother, in opinion of the child, is
similar to the God» - and in spite of on anything, Alessa loved her mother.
On this happy note Rose with Sharon leaves the city and were sent home...
But there is something strange: even outside the Silent Hill they can see
ashes everywhere, falling from heavens. And even, having arrived home,
Rose finds out, that all covered with a dense fog... And Christopher
doesn't see any fog - but he was at home too... Neither he can see his
daughter and wife who have arrived home after all events? It turns out,
that Rose and Sharon have become just lifeless shadows, the phantoms
existing only in "the foggy world" and hidden for usual people...?
In this history there will be no happy ending, in fact the Silent Hill
never lets off those who once had visited his webs...
2. MOVIE CHARACTERS
Silent Hill: The Movie brings to us quiet big list of characters. Some of
them were already seen in the game, and some people are absolutely new.
1) Sharon DaSilva
Daughter of Rose and Christopher DaSilva actually is Alessa's copy. This
cheerful girl is antithetic her second half. But, in spite of anything,
her past comes back to her, involving in dreadful events of the movie.
Eventually she remains in "the foggy world" with her mother - Rose.
The version about what happened with Sharon in the end: as we can see,
after the stage of final slaughter Sharon meets a sight with " dark Alessa
", character of the girl changing strongly - she becomes very quiet,
gloomy, silent and partly frightening - for example, the scene, when Rose
and Sharon came home, we can see that Sharon had menacing sight - and the
girl is completely not similar to itself. Perhaps, it is only
psychological consequences of the stress, the girl felt? Also we can
think, that the moment when sights of two girls had met , " dark Alessa"
became a part of Sharon - and so, having brought Sharon home, Rose took
out the " other world " from limits of Silent Hill (Thanks to Rage1986 for
supervision about changes in Sharon's character and this version).
Name: derivative of name "Cheryl" - a name of the character from the first
part with similar destiny.
Comments to shape: it is interesting, that on the blue Sharon's T-shirt
the butterfly is drawn. It is very symbolical, paying attention that the
theme of butterflies has been discovered in the game.
Actress: Jodelle Ferland - this girl also is known on a mystical serial
"Kingdom Hospital ", taken off from the motive of the novel of Stephen
King. In the movie she plays three characters: "Sharon", "Alessa" in the
childhood (flashbacks) and "dark Alessa". "This girl is special! She knows
how to play nasty and she knows how to play pure innocense"- the director
Christophe Hans admires to Jodelle's abilities to transform. By the way,
there is site of Jodelle which is situated here:
http://www.jodelle-ferland.2ya.com/. Here you can find out in detail about
a filmography of an actress, and also start asking the girl filled up with
work, this foolish fans questions such as "How do you concern to the
character from the movie", whether "Had you played Silent Hill before
shooting" or "Jodelle, have you already read Silent Pyramid’s movie
analysis?" ^ __ ^
2) Rose DaSilva
Sharon's foster mother who has decided to bring a daughter in the Silent
Hill. In spite of the fact that this woman is vulnerable enough and she
does not represent image rather distributed in the western cinema "the
superman in a skirt", she will do everything to protect her daughter. In
the end Rose remains with Sharon in "the foggy world".
Comments to shape: Pay attention, that color of a Rose's suit gradually
varies from more light on reder during the film. As is known, to realize
this idea, designers had to create many variants of suits for an actress.
Prototype: at the creation of Rose's image moviemakers scooped inspiration
in Harry Mason's images from the first part of game and Heather from the
third.
Actress: the Rose role was played by the Australian actress Radha Mitchell
known by the film - Pitch Black. It is necessary to note, that she also
acted in the film - Man on Fire where she has played the woman who has
lost the daughter (her daughter was stolen and demanded for the repayment)
- as it is known, Radha communicated for a long time with women, children
of those were stolen, to understand all features of their behaviour in
critical situations. As we understand, this experience was rather useful
in Silent Hill (thanks to Sasha for the information on a Radha's role in
film "Man on Fire").
According to director's statements, Radha Mitchell ideally approached for
a role of sensitive and careful mother (though, actually actress has no
children). As Radha admits, a principal cause on which she began to act in
this film became... cutie Christophe Hans (" I think the major attraction
to me was … Christophe "). It is remarkable also, that when the girl read
the script for a first time, it has seemed to her so scary, that after the
first 10-pages she was so frightened, that she had stopped reading and
gone to sleep ^ __ ^
3) Christopher DaSilva
Sharon's foster father who disagreed the idea of Rosa's trip to Silent
Hill. After his wife and the daughter vanished in Silent Hill, Christopher
bypassed the entire city with inspector Guchi - but he cannot find them
because they are placed in different worlds (Rose with Sharon - are in
"foggy" city, and her husband - in "normal"). And so, for example, in a
"school" stage Christopher and Rose were in the same room, but they cannot
see each other. During events of the film, Christopher tries to
understand, what could happen, but eventually his attempts became
ineffectual.
The actor: Sean Bean - acted in "Lord of the Rings". I think,
representation does not require.
4) Cybil Bennett
Altruistic adjusted woman - policeman from the Brahams city, ready to
endow her for the sake of others. She gets in a foggy Silent Hill when she
was following Rose and Sharon, she gets in an accident on her motorcycle.
Further she will help the main heroine with everything she could, but
eventually will die from hands of sectarians - even her reliable pistol
would not help. As the director comments, "in this foggy city cops shoot
not better than usual people".
Actress: Laurie Holden - you can learn more about her filmography on her
website http://www.laurieholdenwebsite.com/. Christophe Hans writes in his
diary the reason why this actress has been chosen for Cybil's role: "When
the first time I have seen Laurie, externally she was completely not
similar to Cybil, but I knew, that she ideally will approach for this role
because of naturalness of her movements, her internal power and beauty".
It is remarkable, that as Laurie admits that she to understand her
character better she even played SH1 - and has finished already up to the
first meeting with Cybil in cafe (!!). Here that the actress speaks about
the character in one of her interviews: "Cybil has grown in Brahams - a
small town nearby to the Silent Hill. Partly, she was alone since her
mother has died when Cybil was 13 years-old, and actually she has no
father. In Brahams was strong influence of religion, therefore it seems to
me, that Cybil's mother was really the believing woman and how tormented
she has died... It's really made scars in Cybil's soul. And because of
memoirs that happened to her mother, the girl began to stand aside of all
kinds of religions. Because of it, as it seems to me, Cybil it became
lonely, she did not have plenty of friends. But it is normal for Cybil as
she had found the calling in a life - "to serve and protect". And
especially she tries to protect children. There were different things in
her life... As it seems to me, Cybil concerns in a special way to help the
children because in her soul she would like to feel herself a mother".
5) Dahlia Gillespie
She is mother of Alessa Gillespie who loved her daughter very much, but
could not resist to opinion of the majority of fanatics because of what
there was a tragedy. Since then Gillespie lived in the foggy world, being
in the exile and the object of cult's hatred - for the long amount of time
this woman had lost mind (at least so it can seem) and had lost human
shape. Nevertheless, she is - the only in the entire city that can be free
being in the dreadful world, without fear to be killed - Darkness will not
cause her any harm... And even on the contrary - it is possible to think,
that Dahlia is under protection of the dreadful world. So, when Anna
starts to throw stones in Dahlia, it is necessary for Dahlia only to point
her finger on the girl - and there is the executioner - Pyramid Head who
immediately had executed Anna. We can think, that Alessa loved her mother
in spite of anything and the "other world" with its monsters is not aimed
at Dahlia to cause her any harm - and even on the contrary, protects
Alessa's mother from the cult. In the end Dahlia becomes the only citizen
who wasn't perished from Alessa's hands - the love between the child and
mother saved her of terrible destiny (feel a difference with the game
where Alessa had killed her mother in the end). Its unknown, is she able
to get out of "the foggy world" - but it is possible to assume, that she
wasn't...
Prototype: This character also was in the game, but in the movie Dahlia's
image has been changed to antithetic - perhaps, the only thing that
remained from game is Dahlia's habit to speak obscure phrases.
Actress: Deborah Kara Unger - she also had played in the mystical film
"White Noise", some aspects of its plot is obviously crossed with SH2
ideas. The actress describes the character in film as: "Dahlia's been
extraordinary because I think, to Christophe's credit, and certainly the
entire crew and special effects and design, he's really, really captured
the essence of her and then extended her into the psychological nightmare
that would capture the imaginations of the gaming fans. So it was a much
deeper exploration than I anticipated. I'm a big lurker on all the [web]
sites and I love the varying competing analysis on all the different
characters.... With Dahlia, it's been an extraordinary psychological
journey for me, as an actor, to embrace this walker between worlds. And,
as a mad and slightly cryptic prophet, akin to obviously the essence of
the game, this has been just a delight to play …"
6) Alessa Gillespie
The girl was burnt by fanatics, her pain and hatred has generated the
dreadful world. Everything that she wanted - a satisfaction, revenge,
death of those who had caused her a pain, has forced to suffer - and the
dreadful world has enabled her to carry out this desire.
Actress: Lorry Ayers - has played Alessa 40-years-old which we can see
laying on beds in the middle of the movie and in a final stage of
"slaughter". Jodelle Ferland - has played Alessa 9-years-old in stages of
memoirs.
7) Alessa's dark side
This small spiteful girl is waiting for the revenge, and known as
"Alessa's dark side". For the first time she has appeared during that
moment when Alessa's hatred began to be splashed out too much, causing
suffering all successively.
About dark Alessa's occurrence: "dark Alessa" - the next example familiar
to us from games of SH-series of the concept, that in the "other world"
the person can exist in several forms. Director Christophe Hans speaks
about occurrence of several forms of Alessa in the movie, marking
symbolism and philosophical sense of the given concept: " Perhaps, the
common link of all SH histories is the idea about existence of a place
where not only a reality, but also the human person can be divided in half
. This place where the set of measurements is crossed and where you can
exist at several levels. These different realities are reflected as
division in the character. Characters can be divided and exist in several
forms, as Mary and Maria in SH2 or Alessa in SH1 ".
Actress: Jodelle Ferland.
8) The nurse in a red attire (Lisa)
This nurse looked after the scorched girl in hospital, but Alessa's hatred
was so strong, that she has vented it on the poor nurse, having blinded
her and having placed her soul in the dreadful "other world" forever. We
had meet her in the same room where we find scorched Alessa - apparently,
the nurse constantly cries and for the certain reasons doesn't want, that
someone saw her disfigured face.
The version about the reasons to disfigure her face: there is an
interesting version among fans of a series exists why Alessa has
disfigured the face of the nurse: after burning Alessa understood, that
now she couldn't be helped even with plastic surgery. Her human life is
over. Why? For what? With even greater hatred her heart was filled. At
this time the nurse with beautiful young face has decided to look at her
wounds, on her charred skin. And spoiled Alessa wanted, that this face has
regretted about it, that it has been spoiled, that it will never able to
see anymore… And this had happened (thanks to ChPernat for this version).
Prototype: a prototype of the nurse is the girl named Lisa Garland from
the first part of the game which also appeared as prisoner of the dreadful
Alessa's world (but, there nobody blinded her).
9) Colin
The strange cleaner working 30 years ago at Midwich school. We can see him
as the person from Alessa's memoirs, we can see his corpse in "the foggy
world" and we can see him as the monster in "the dreadful world". For some
reasons Alessa hated him most of anybody - to understand it, is enough to
look only on a corpse of this person in the "other world" or his appearing
as that awful monster in "the dreadful world". Even Christophe Hans in his
diary asks the question, what did this cleaner do to deserve such destiny:
"Of course the big question was "what did this guy DO to deserve to become
a monster?" ". Some people consider that he has beaten Alessa, - the
others - that he had raped her. Nevertheless, we cannot find the answer to
this question in the movie.
10) Thomas Gucci
The police inspector participating in Alessa's rescue in the day of Silent
Hill fire - his father lived in this city and was the barbershop owner,
but he died during a fire. As we can see, Gucci has rescued the girl
(therefore has burned on palms), but he was not able to rescue his own
father 30 years ago - and so, he knows the bitterness of loss of the close
person...
This quiet and judicious person recommends Christopher to not to get into
troubles. Also he respects Cybil Bennett very much and considers that she
is better, than somebody can cope with search of disappeared people in the
Silent Hill.
Surname: the surname of the character is sending to the first part of game
where the policeman named Gucci, engaged in investigation of an affair
about drug dealing, he died, the reasons reminding heart attack for some
time before events of the first part of game appeared. Nevertheless, there
no other connection with Gucci, except his surname - character from the
game.
Actor: Kim Coates
11) Christabella
The Supreme priestess of the religious organization piously trusting in
the correctness and acted in the ritual of "clarification" of Alessa
Gillespie - she trusted, that the girl was a witch, a malicious demon and
required clarification by a flame... The ideology of this woman consists
in destroying (to burn) everything, than she cannot operate and not able
to understand. She with ease selects lives of other people and places
under a threat lives of her colleagues, but she terribly afraid for own
precious life (for example, the moment when Cybil edifies the pistol on
Christabella, testifies). Eventually Alessa tears apart hated Christabella
literally. Rather a vivid example of the "unequivocal - negative"
character.
Name: in spite of the fact that the name of the given character is
borrowed from the girl from comics on Silent Hill (Silent Hill Dying
Inside, Silent Hill Dead\Alive), actually there's no connection between
these characters. It is not necessary to be an expert in a SH-series to
understand, that the idea with a name is simply advertising course, called
to excite fans.
Prototype: if you will watch closely Christabella's behaviour and mimicry,
you will notice, that the image of the character is based on Claudia from
the third part of game. Nevertheless, if in the game it was impossible to
name Claudia a negative character then we have received that negative
character as priestess of the religious organization in full sense of this
word.
Actress: Alice Krige - She is known by film "Star Trek: First Contact".
The actress admits in her interview, that she even played SH before
shootings - but, not for long.
12) Anna
The girl who had broke interdictions of the sect and went to the demon’s
territory to find some food for her mother. Cybil and Rose met Anna at the
Grand Hotel - for the certain reasons she fiercely hates Dahlia.
Eventually, when darkness comes, the girl instead of running in a refuge,
is late at the entrance to shower Dahlia with stones - and, in result had
no time to rescue and perishes from hands of "Beast" (more familiar to us
as Pyramid Head).
Actress: Tanya Allen
13) Eleanor
Inconsolable Anna's mother who grieves over loss of the daughter - but
Christabella calms the woman.
14) Adam
Christabella's helper - follows to all instructions of the priestess.
15) Margaret
The nun working in a shelter situated in Toluca's district who has founded
the little girl, left at the doors of the building, whom Christopher and
Rose DaSilva will adopt later.
3. CREATURES
As the director of film writes in his Internet-diary, there are some basic
versions about the true essence of monsters in the movie: the first
consists that they are usual people - the townspeople, Alessa has vented
the aggression on them, people in "Hell". Other position is based that
monsters can be hallucinations, generation of human mentality. But, any of
these explanations is not the *only* one. Many variants of interpretations
are possible.
Anyhow, the true evil in the movie - not monsters, but people... Those
people which scoffed at the little girl 30 years ago. And monsters should
be perceived by the spectator as something like wild animals in the
jungle and the main heroine must escape them during the movie (" The
monsters are like animals in a jungle, more likely, and you have to walk
among them and escape them ") - explained Gans
In spite of the fact that in the majority of the western horror films the
effect of fear is under construction that we do not see monsters till the
last moment when they suddenly will jump out of any corner, frightening us
only one suddenness of the occurrence, in the Silent Hill: The Movie it
goes in the other way: these creatures are not trying to hide. They can
see us and they can attack openly. And, the most important, we cannot
counterattack the equally - and so the only exit is attempt to rescue by
running away. The matter is that, as against of many horror - movies (for
example, notorious movie - Resident Evil), the director Christophe Gans
did not wanted to emphasize on an action and remained to the true
traditions of the game - and so we shall not see mass shooting. Moreover,
during the movie the weapon - only Cybil had pistol, and the main heroine
was without any weapons to protect her. The matter is that when we put the
person with the weapon opposite to the monster, the monster starts to be
perceived simply as "the enemy who is necessary for destroying" - and with
death of the monster, also the source of fear automatically disappears. As
we can see, Christophe Gans tried to not to use similar standards, having
made monsters not simply "easily killed enemies", but something big -
something, that is impossible to kill and that always is near to us. As a
vivid example - the stage in a cellar of Brookhaven hospital when the
heroine makes the way through group of nurses - creatures are so close,
that it is possible to touch them, but from the weapon at the main heroine
- only a flashlight with which any attempt to kill enemies will terminate
pitiable.
Being the fans of the game, founders of the movie respects Team Silent for
their work, decided to use the monsters from the game in the movie (made
only some changes in their design). Only exception became created for two
days by moviemakers the creature "Cleaner" which Christophe Gans counts
precisely the humble contribution to the Silent Hill mythology ("He is my
humble contribution to the Silent Hill Mythology").
It is remarkable, that monsters were played by actors (dancers) alive,
according to Gans’s words, has allowed to inhale a life in awful creatures
and to make their movements much more interesting.
1) Grey child
Creature with big head, they are reminds us children whom Rose had met in
the beginning of the movie. Their design was based on "children" from the
first part of game, but changes were made - for example if you look
narrowly at the body of "grey children" you will notice, that in some
places their darkened skin slowly decays, as if someone tried to burn out
small creatures (presumably, this detail is connected to Alessa's
destiny). According to Gans's records in the diary, the design of monsters
is "the strange, naive feeling of cruelty inherent only to children ", but
also "the reflection of fear and alarm of parents".
2) Lying Figure (armless thing)
This creature appeared from the second part of the game that attacked
Cybil in the city. The basic difference consists that if in SH2 these
monsters simply "sneezed" now they release a jet of the black boiling
liquid corroding everything, on what it has got - such jet the monster
nearly has not burnt out Cybil. Presumably, specificity of burning attack
of the creature is connected by that the cult has made with small Alessa.
It is remarkable also, that LF - the only aggressive monster, appearing
and not depend on the arrival of Darkness.
3) Creeper
Huge cockroaches with funny "faces", they attacked Rose and Cybil at
dreadful school. It is the only kind of creatures completely made by means
of computer schedules.
The comment of fans: to understand better the attitude of fans to
occurrence of this monster in the movie, we'll look, that st-MK comments
about - she is fan on cockroaches: "cockroaches... Kawaii... I'd like to
eat them!" (Thanks to st-MK for the comment) As we can see from this
comment, introduction of cockroaches in the movie was quite expedient,
since each occurrence of that monster causes the true storm of emotions
among fans ^ __ ^
4) Pyramid Head (in the movie he is mentioned only as "the Beast")
Met at the school and near the church the creature in the strange clothes
reminding an apron or a skirt (some fans are inclined to assume, that the
clothes are made of a human skin), carrying a grey pyramid on a head, and
dragging a huge hatchet, with ease cutting through the steel. It also
severely finishes with Anna when she decides to shower Dahlia Gillespie
with stones.
About changes: In comparison with game, an image of the Pyramid changed.
First, founders of the movie, trying to bring to the "other world" a
certain share of feminity and matriarchality, have decided, as they admit,
to show the Pyramid "from female prospect" - therefore the creature now
goes with a naked torso and in a skirt. Second, if in the game the body of
the monster, in opinion of the director, looked deformed enough in the
movie they have decided to make him big and strong character similar to
the God of War from the movie "Star Gate" or to the Egyptian god of death
- Anubis (" In the game he has a very deformed body almost a hunchback.
Instead we decided to make him a tall, powerful character a little like
the Warrior God in "Stargate" that Patrick Tatopoulos created. Why?
Because for me there is a little of Anibus, the Egyptian God of Death in
the Red Pyramid " - Gans) writes. Thirdly, they have removed firm gloves
of the pathologist from the hands of Pyramid. Fourthly, the form of a head
of the creature had changed - according to comments of founders, it has
been made after several attempts to use an "original" variant of a head,
and they have faced some problems with reproduction of the computer
character in the movie and have understood they it wasn't to save the
primary form of his head. And, at last, they had changed color of the
Pyramid's head from red to grey. WHAT FOR moviemakers made such a criminal
blasphemy (it is difficult to name differently) - only one the Great Dog
could know that ^ _ ^
About the actor: as is known, the Pyramid and the cleaner was played by
the same actor (Thanks to st-MK for the information)
About occurrence PH and LF in the movie: some fans of game consider, that
occurrence of such monsters as "the Lying Figure" and Pyramid Head in the
movie, contradicts a plot of the game and generally they are out of place.
Well... What I can tell...? Yes, they are contradicting. But, if you would
examine a plot of the Silent Hill: The Movie so critically it looks like
that this movie - is one big contradiction with a plot of game (look only
on to Alessa's premise in Brookhaven instead of Alchemilla). It would be a
mistake to represent a plot of the movie, as something closely connected
to the game. Therefore, be simply pleased, that for the sake of a
picture's rating, founders have pushed in film one of your favourite
monster. ^ __ ^
5) Dark Nurse
Nurses appearing in Brookhaven's cellar in the dirty clothes, spoiled
faces are bandaged. These creatures often in a coma, and they only react
to the light and direct contact. They are armed with scalpels and rusty
steel pipes. This design is based on an image of nurses from the second
part of the game. Behaviour of this creature (to stand quietly, yet she
will notice victim and then to attack) reminds "Dummies" from the second
part of game.
6) Janitor
Strange cleaner Colin working at school whom Alessa hated, has fallen a
victim of her revenge in the "other world" (we can see a corpse of the
cleaner in a toilet at "foggy" school) and has turned to an awful monster.
We meet him at alternative school as a monster - in spite of the fact that
the body of the blinded creature, is bent half-and-half, the cleaner still
tries to creep - because of terrible sounds issued by him we can
understand, that Colin feels an infernal pain. What did this guy do to
deserve a destiny like this!?
About some features of design: According to Christophe Gans's comments in
his Internet-diary, the concept of shape of this monster is connected to
something, that the cleaner has made to Alessa, and has deserved a destiny
like this ("what did this guy DO to deserve to become a monster? - This
question was pivotal in helping us determine the look" - Gans marks
connection of a sin of the cleaner with appearance of this monster). As
fans of the game mark, the cleaner is tied in such pose to not have an
opportunity to make a pleasure himself, and his twitching language speaks
about his excessive lust, that also can concern to Colin's person and type
of actions accomplished to a little Alessa (Thanks to the-fly for the
version).
About creation: the cleaner - the only monster in the game which has been
thought up directly by founders of film, and all happened spontaneously:
at the shooting of the movie Gans decided to enter into a stage something
shocking: and for 2 days this new monster was created and has appeared in
the movie. Nevertheless, entering in game the new creature, for Christophe
Gans was important the attitude to this innovation of founders of the
game, and he even has asked Akira Yamaoka's opinion - and fortunately, the
permanent sound producer of a SH-series so liked this monster, that he
even has asked a permission to use this monster for a future game! (Gans
writes proudly in his diary about that: "In fact he [Akira Yamaoka] asked
if he could use it for a future game"). The innovation was valid; at my
personal sight this monster is one of the best in film.
7) Alessa
Adhered to a skeleton soaring above the ground reminding hospital bed,
Alessa appears in the last stage of the movie to punish all sectarians,
having chopped them on pieces by something similar to the long strings of
a barbed wire. Probably, the design of this creature was based on design
of the final boss of the second part games ("Mary").
4. SYMBOLISM and REFERENCES
Let's disassemble the basic symbolical moments of the movie, and also we
shall look, what sendings to the game are used at this film-masterpiece.
1) About moving city and prototypes
In the movie, Silent Hill has been moved to the Western Virginia, Toluca's
district (actually this district does not exist). The name of the district
is sending to the name of the lake from the second part of the game, and
Western Virginia has no any relation to the game and is connected to the
following history: the matter is that, while Roger Avary was inquiring
about the deserted cities of America, he has casually found out about
small town "Centralia" in Pennsylvania which became a prototype of a
history of the city in the movie (I am surprised why it was impossible to
please fans once again and for a spelling of a history of the Silent Hill
in the movie to use a history if the city FROM THE GAME!?) . The matter is
that since 1981 till our days the population of city was reduced with 1000
up to 11 person as a result of the underground fire which has flashed in
1962 (when coal started to burn in the coal mine) taking place under city,
continuing almost more than 40-years and not giving in to suppression. The
problem "has got out outside" when in 70 - 80th because of aggravation of
scales of a underground fire the entire city began to be filled with
smoke, and also have started to appear the land subsidence, forming
precipices depth in one hundred foots that has caused to move citizens in
other district. As founders of the movie admit, they have borrowed a
history of city from Centralia(that's why there are so many coincidences -
the underground fire which has begun in 60th, precipices, abandonment),
but as the name have specified "Silent Hill", and have replaced
Pennsylvania with the Western Virginia for legal reasons ("While we had no
intention of keeping the "Centralia" name, we used the town and its
history as the basis for our ' real world ' Silent Hill, changing the
state to West Virginia for legal reasons" - Gans admits)
2) About the fog, snow, precipices and the siren
Founders of the movie offer us rather original explanation for a fog,
snow, precipices and siren which strikingly differs from the concept of
the game. "Snow" going in the foggy world is ashes from a fire (we shall
remember a stage when Rose takes "snowflake" on a hand and speaks, that is
ashes)
- An impenetrable fog - reflection in the foggy world dimming city after a
smoke of an underground fire. I shall remind, that now everywhere in the
city - a poisonous smoke, that's why Christopher and Gucci carry masks,
and members of a cult in the foggy world also put on special clothes. As
it is known, the idea with a smoke has been borrowed from a history of the
Centralia city.
- Siren is the signal system on a top of church which is called to warn
members of the sect of arrival of the Darkness. The stage when the first
time we can see the church clearly testifies to it - the pipes issuing a
sound of a siren are directly under cult's "cross".
- Since the image of city in game was based on Centralia both the idea and
essence of "precipices" on roads is crossed with a history of the
Centralia city where subsidence in a ground took place, appeared in result
of almost 40-years underground fire. Nevertheless, it is necessary to
note, that the these precipices In THE MOVIE are appearing only at "the
foggy world" and disappeared after Alessa was revenged, that allows to put
forward the version that in the concept of the movie precipices are an
element of "other world" - reflection of Alessa's representations about
what collapses in the city could take place as a result of a 40-years
underground fire.
As we can see, founders had borrowed some game elements, give them a
little bit other interpretations in the movie. Quiet interesting...
3) About lattices, wires and fire
In submitted "other world" we can see such elements of this reality, as
lava, lattices and a barbed wire. In spite of the fact that the statement
that these elements of the other world have been simply borrowed from the
game and do not carry any precise implied senses, fans of the movie have
the following interpretation: the lava and fire - burn, and presence of
such things in the "other world" is connected to Alessa's destiny;
lattices and a barbed wire in turn are symbols of girl's imprisonment
(thanx 2 V-Raptor).
4) An inscription on a publicity board
Near to the house of DaSilva it is possible to notice a publicity board in
the form of the book with the citation from the Bible: "Do you not know
that we will judge angels? Do you not know that the saint will judge the
world? ". In a context of the movie this citation gets special sense if
you'll remember that religious fanatics really judged "angels" - an
innocent girl Alessa, having named her witch, and Sharon and Cybil were
named witches.
5) Sharon's pictures
The moment when Sharon began draw her pictures, making them dark and
terrible, it can be as a display of Alessa's latent memoirs in her. On
every picture we can see, that some dark figures keep the little girl - it
symbolizes members of the sect which have seized Alessa, to burn a "witch".
6) White Noise
It is remarkable, that Christopher cannot see Rose, who is in "the foggy
world", but she can call her husband even therefrom - in this case
Christopher will hear very indistinctly the voice of his wife accompanying
with terrible handicapes (as James hears a voice of his died wife by radio
in SH2). This sending to the theory of "white noise" according to, dead
can communicate with alive by radio and the video equipment.
Pay attention, that when Rose calls to her husband after entering the
foggy world in the middle of the movie - Christopher hears a voice Rose
indistinctly and with handicapes, and at the end of the movie, when Rose
tries to call her husband from the foggy world (when she comes back home)
- her voice is already not audible behind handicapes. It could mean that
"other world" gradually absorbs the heroine, cutting her contacts to an
external world.
7) Religion and school
On the school doors you can see a religious symbol of the cult. Directly
above this door it is possible to notice the tablet with an inscription
"All foes of the righteous will be condemned" which testifies that the
children were told to blame all opponents of religion since the childhood.
Besides, it is possible to find pictures "Country", "Home" "Loyality" è
"God" which are connected by religious subjects and propagandize
leadership of the God over all real.
8) About value of a canary in the cage
If we'll look closer it is possible to notice, that in a school stage
members of a cult carry a canary with themselves. It is known that miners,
being sent in mine, took with themselves canaries in a cage that on
behaviour of a bird to determine presence of poisonous gas - usually such
birds lived not for long enough.
By the way, canaries in the movie have one more amusing value. So, a
script writer Roger Avary in one of the interviews compares all fans of
the game to canaries in a colliery: "we wanted to make the movie for them.
They are [fans of the game] - canaries in a colliery ". Such a strange
metaphor it is.
9) “Hell and Paradise” games
On the asphalt at the school yard it is possible to notice drawn by a
piece of chalk "field" for game - squares on to, according to the rules
of children's game, it is necessary to jump, throwing a stone on
corresponding square and eventually to reach the end of a field. And on
the one square is written, "Hell", and on the other one - "Paradise". And,
when Rose runs on a game field, she runs from "Hell" to "Paradise".
Symbolically... (Thanks to st-MK and B.L.I.N.K.I.N that have noticed
"Paradise").
10) About the corpse in a toilet
The corpse adhered in a toilet by a barbed wire, is a body of cleaner
Colin which Alessa hated and he has fallen a victim of her hatred. Most
likely, he has been tied so severely to not to "lay a hand", and a piece
of the tablet from hotel was pushed into his mouth (pay attention, that
when Rose takes out a slice of the tablet, and then we can see the
"monster" cleaner - it looks clear, that the tablet in his mouth was
necessary to not put out his disgusting twitching tongue outside).
Near to his corpse on a wall there is an inscription "DARE YOU DARE YOU
DOUBLE DARE YOU" and an arrow, following to the mouth of a corpse. Besides
the phrase concerns to the cleaner (who obviously will not dare any more
after such punishment), it also simultaneously is the help for Rose, it is
necessary for her to venture and put a hand in the mouth of a corpse to
find the help about a site of the daughter. Thus the moment reminds about
SH2 where the main hero had to overcome disgust too, getting subjects from
any strange apertures (dark cracks in walls, dirty toilet bowls, etc.).
11) Change of the pictures
The stage when the world changes to a dreadful is symbolical, and Alessa
draws atop of "normal" pictures in Sharon album terrible images at this
time... So, change of pictures is accompanied by change of the world
surrounding the girl - rather symbolically
12) 111
According to Anna, the picture closing a door in a room 111 in the hotel
represents the first burning ("111" = the first burning, it is logical).
According to Christophe Gans's comments, the first burnt witch in Silent
Hill was Jennifer Carroll, so it is sending to SH2 and SH3...
13) A symbol of a cult
In the movie a symbol of the religious organization the symbol is not Halo
of the Sun (from the game) anymore, but a circle symbol with a four
crosses from the different sides proceed is a symbol of faith of the cult
which was represented by ancestors of the cultists on every building
constructed in city (that testifies an influence of a cult). The design of
this sign obviously was based on the form of a cross as most widespread
religious symbol, and sense of a sign can be interpreted as all-round
authority of religion because it represents crosses directed from the
central circle in all 4 sides of light.
14) A picture in a monastery of a cult
In the church of a cult there's one picture with the image of burning a
witch and an inscription "DOMINE DEUS OMNIPOTENS IN CUIUS MANU OMNIS
VICTORIA CONSISTIT" which means "the Almighty God in whose hands there is
victory ".
It is the citation from the pray written in Latin from the manuscript of
11 centuries (thanks to Master Mind for the information) which has a
below-mentioned appearance.
The original in Latin: Domine Deus Omnipotens, Rex regum et Dominus
dominantium, in cuius manu omnis victoria consistit et omne bellum
conteritur, concede mihi ut tua manus cor meum corroboret ut in virtute
tua in manibus viribusque meis bene pugnare viriliterque agere valeam ut
inimici mei in conspectu meo cadent et corruant sicut corruit Golias ante
faciem pueri tui David, et sicut populus Pharaonis coram Moysi in mare
rubro, et sicut Philistini coram populo Israel cecidi1 sunt, et Amalech
coram Moysi et Chananei coram Iesu corruerunt, sic cadant inimici mei sub
pedibus meis, et per viam unam conveniant adversum me et per septem
fugiant a me; et conteret Deus arma eorum et confringet framea eorum, et
liquescent in conspectu meo sicut cera a facie ignis ut sciant omnes
populi terrae quia invocatum est nomen Domini nostri Iesu Christi super me
et magnificetur nomen tuum Domine, in adversariis meis, Domine Deus Israel
(a source: http://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Pater/DomineDeus.html)
Translation: the God Almighty, tsar of the tsars, the governor of
governors in whose hands there is victory and war collapses, give me the
forces and give the force to my heart that I could struggle and make acts
courageous that my enemies have fallen under my look, they will fall as
has Goliath fallen toward your servant David as people of the Pharaoh in
Red sea toward Moses have fallen <...>, and that all my enemies have
fallen down to my foots. Everyone who against me, will be destroyed by
God's will, their weapon and swords were broken. Let they melt before my
look, as wax melting near the fire, let every people knew that I appeal to
the name Jesus Christ. Let your name, the God of Israel, will be glorified
above my contenders.
This pray quite reflects ideology of members of the religious
organization, especially Christabella. They are fighting with enemies of
the belief under the name of the god, and everyone who against, should
fall with awful death - to thaw as wax before a clearing flame
(differently - to be burnt).
15) The pray
The sense of a pray which Christabella and members of a cult read,
consists that everyone should be judged on the affairs, and names are not
situated in the book of a life, should be overthrown in the Hell. It is
symbolical, that when Christabella and members of a cult start to pray,
their belief really has action in the "other world" - at the moment of
prayers we can even see the bright inspiration reminding divine light - it
consists that belief can turn to the force.
But also pay attention that after the stage of gloomy prayers of members
of a cult we can see a stage with the small children in an orphanage
innocently pray to the God before dream (the director as though draws an
analogy between members of a cult under Christabella's management and
children under supervision of sister Margaret) - it is remarkable, that
children read that pray which Laura reads back to front in the
Rebirth-ending of SH2...
16) References to the game
Briefly we list some moments of the being obvious sendings to the game:
---The stage with Sharon's and Rose's trip to the Silent Hill reminds very
similar scene from the first part of game (by the way, Sharon has an album
with her either), and than a stage of an accident. It is symbolical, that
in a stage of trip the song " Letter from Lost Days " sounded, which also
sounded in a stage of Heather's and Douglas Cartland's trip to the Silent
Hill in SH3.
---When Cybil approaches to the machine and tries to start talking with
Sharon that answers her "Don't talk to strangers" is a sending of script
writers to the third part of game where Heather answers to a detective "My
daddy always told me not to talk to strangers", trying to start talking
with her.
---The stage when Rose wakes up in the empty machine, starts to follow a
silhouette of the daughter and get in dreadful avenue where she is
attacked by children - monsters in accuracy reproduces a similar stage
from the first part of game.
---The moment where Rose finds Alessa's school desk with a curses at the
school, - the next sending to SH1 where schoolmates cut out curses on a
school desk of hated Alessa Gillespie (but in the game there was not
"WITCH", there was "Go Home. Thief. Drop Dead").
---A stage with the girl's crying in a school toilet already was in the
first part of game
---The idea with a corpse in toilet cabin has been borrowed from SH1 where
Harry founded the body of the dead person in the toilet cabin, adhered by
a barbed wire.
---School religious pictures remind of religious pictures in the church in
SH3, imaging a myth of the cult.
---The stage when characters were attacked by the Pyramid - but it is not
possible to kill him and the creature leaves when the world comes back to
"foggy" actually reproduces the moment from SH2 - but there the Pyramid
left under the water.
---In the "other world" we frequently can see the fans - a favourite
detail of founders, called to symbolize regeneration, is reproduced.
---Circulations in the burnt out hotel... Somewhere we already heard it.
---The moment where Rose finds the latent door behind a religious picture
reminds the similar moment in SH3 where Heather finds a door behind a
picture of an angel.
---The moment when Christabella names Alessa a "demon" reminds SH1, where
Dahlia named Alessa "a demon with an appearance of the child" to confuse
the main hero - Harry Mason.
---Brookhaven Hospital is a hospital from the second part of game (and the
third at the same time). To tell the truth, there it was madhouse and
obviously totaled less floors.
---The stage in the hospital where the heroine in the lift gets from the
foggy world at the "dreadful" has been taken from game where there are
similar stages (SH1 - hospital, SH3 - shopping center).
---The stage when Christabella pierces a Rose's body with a knife after
the religious dispute sends us to the third part of game where Êëàóäèÿ
kills Vincent with similar circumstances.
_______________________________________________________________________________
COPYRIGHTS.
_______________________________________________________________________________
This document is protected by international copyright laws. This document
Copyright (c) 2005-2007 SilentPyramid [silentpyramid@mail.ru] and Darth Blade
[Das.Zlo@gmail.com] .
All characters and fictional content regarding the story discussed in the FAQ
are the property of Konami. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this
document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. This
guide is for personal use only. Any other use is prohibited, except for the
guide being included on any non-profit or non-commercial site as long as the
following conditions are met and strictly adhered to first:
1) You ask for our permission first, contacting me (SilentPyramid) and Darth
Blade by the email address provided in this FAQ.
2) Affirmation to your request will depend on our reply and whether both of us
agree to it.
3) The contents of this guide must not be altered regardless the situation.
_______________________________________________________________________________
CREDITS.
_______________________________________________________________________________
The author would like to thank:
--Everyone who was patient enough to read the whole PA.
--Himself, for writing such an informative and detailed analysis.
--BAHEK, for single-handedly developing and setting up silenthillpa.narod.ru
website, for the info on SH1, ritual descriptions and other invaluable help.
--Darth_Blade, kl3r1k, MadRushn and Stalker_401
for translating the PA to English.
--DoVoD for reading the runes, information about Satan's signature, the hotel,
translation of the Victims list and Another Crimson Tome to Russian, the idea
about Maria's hair color, the idea about Artemis and his help in writing the
analysis of Fukuro video.
--Sun for noticing the wallpaper in Amy's room and for the image of the
Abstract Father
--st-MK for showing Frank Sunderland's crossed-out photo and the great script
of SH4.
--Lita for the enormous help she gave and the info about the meaning of 312
--Hail Mary for everything
--Roman Divers for information about astral
--KeiN for help
--John Modest for ripping the text files
--Losti for the info about the real Brookhaven Hospital
--systemich for "White Noiz"
-- Ron Fox for noting that Cynthia is a Hispanic-American female.
And also:
--Konami for creating the SH series
--All the fans, devoted to solving the mysteries of SH
--The fan-forums and their inhabitants
--IDW Publishing for publishing the comics
--Wall of Death and Excel for translating Lost Memories
--jYubei for translating the Victims List from Japanese
--excuse17 for translating Another Crimson Tome from Japanese
--Wialenove for the SH OST guide. Without your help I'd never have gathered my
collection.
--Conquerer for his detailed gameplay guides
--Desta for the script of SH2
--halo_077 for his SH3 Memo FAQ
--Niai Mitch for her script of SH3
--And everyone else I forgot to mention ^_^
_______________________________________________________________________________
CONCLUSION.
_______________________________________________________________________________
And so, the time has come to draw this guide to a close. As these words are
being written, the PA is far from finished - it will long hours of work for
the theoreticians and translators before they can bring you the actual final
version of this guide. For now - wait, think, analyze.
As the sun beyond my window sets, I once again ponder the unanswered questions
and try to fit it all together. Not today, not tomorrow, but some day these
mysteries will fall. But a theoretician must never rest - as of yet we are
expecting two new additions to the SH franchise - the movie and the fifth
game. All of them will contain mysteries of their own. Again we will spend
sleepless nights assaulting their bastions. This battle never stops, but that
is the way we like it.
---------------------
EOD (End of Document)